PSD and Naz India Goal conduct a netball camp in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha

The Naz Foundation (India) Trust is a Delhi based NGO working on the issues of HIV and AIDS since 1994. In 2006, Naz India, in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank, piloted the Goal programme, which is a women’s empowerment programme that works in urban communities, offering weekly sessions to adolescent girls. Goal uses the sport of netball and life skills education to transform the lives of young underprivileged girls in India, on and off the court. The curriculum focuses on educating young women on topics including health, rights, communication, financial literacy and teamwork.

Pro Sport Development in collaboration with Naz India, as part of their Goal Programme, conducted a netball camp for over 100 underprivileged children aged 10 to 14 in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. The camp was held for a duration of six days at two of PSD’s community schools, namely Vivekananda Shiksha Kendra (VSK) and Binapani Sishu Mandir (BPSM).The camp also included girls from Palli Unnayan Seva Samiti (PUSS), an organisation running an orphanage for girls.

The first two days of the netball camp included introductory sessions which involved passing, placement of players, footwork, functional role of a player, as well as understanding the rules and regulations of netball. The children actively participated in specific drills for each of the skills and demonstrated a good understanding of the acquired training. After the netball training sessions, Naz India coaches also conducted sessions to develop important life skills such as nonverbal communication and raising one’s voice against violence. These skills were taught through fun and engaging games involving ‘Silent Pass’ and ‘Protect the Bee’, for the children to have a clear understanding and to allow them to implement these within their own communities.

Sessions on days three and four focused on shooting skills, movement and positioning of players, as well as playing a game of netball with the learned skills. Jerseys were handed out with the respective positions of the player and the coaches went meticulously over the positions, the movement of a particular player and a review of the rules and regulations. The life skill activities, namely hygiene and my rights, were conducted through games including ‘Hygiene Tag’ and ‘My rights’.

The camp concluded successfully with a netball tournament. This tournament was conducted to monitor the progress made by the children and also observe if they implemented the acquired training learnt during the camp. PSD played an important role by providing infrastructure, supporting and helping the Naz India Goal coaches with the local language, as well as support in the implementation of the programme.

[This article has been edited by the Operating Team]