There are vans that troll the neighborhoods around schools in the poorest parts of The Bahamas where innocent boys and girls are enticed to perform sexual acts in exchange for pencils, paper, exam fees, and other supplies. Can't their parents find the money somewhere? The answer is no. Some of these children have no electricity and no running water. Help us help them.
On and off the court Basketball Smiles supports campers through academic initiative programs for local educators and provides campers with school supplies and backpacks. Does your donation make a difference? YES!
One of the first things people give up when they live in poverty is the thing that will get them out of that poverty: an education. Even the youngest children know that education is the only way out.
If a boy or girl has to pay for their education with their body, is it any wonder that 49% of those who pass through The Bahamas’ school system graduate with a certificate of attendance, rather than a diploma?
How we help:
In 2014 we established the Basketball Smiles Summer Academic Tutorial program in cooperation with local Bahamian teachers and school administrators. We donate school supplies to inner-city children through this program.
Each child who attends camp receives school supplies.
We give campers backpacks so they can carry their books and papers home with them. This helps them overcome the appearance of poverty, which draws ridicule.
We supply school supplies through school administrators so children won’t become victims.
We give supplies for school music, art, carpentry and special education classes.
With your support Basketball Smiles has stepped in to keep the children out of the vans sexual predators use to troll the neighborhoods around the schools. Together we give them a hand up so they can achieve more than they ever thought.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse we encourage you to call the Bahamas Crisis Centre hotline at (242) 328-0922.
Stateside victims contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1 (800) 656-4673.