PRESS RELEASE
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U.S. Government Funding Helps to Unite Youth of Pemba Through Desporto Para Paz
July 10, 2023 – The U.S. government is partnering with three Mozambican organizations to implement Desporto Para Paz, a program that engages young people in sports activities to strengthen community cohesion and teach leadership skills. Through the program, youth from six neighborhoods in Pemba come together to improve their sports capabilities and safely compete to relieve stress and make friendships in a healthy manner.
“Through the uniting power of organized sports, the Desporto Para Paz program is empowering young leaders with enriching activities that keep them motivated and help them heal from trauma,” Ambassador Peter H. Vrooman said at a recent engagement with Desporto Para Paz implementers and young people. “Together, these three organizations are providing safe and healthy spaces for youth in Pemba to stay active, engaged, and empowered.”
The Desporto Para Paz program is implemented by NGO New Vision The Bay, headed by Councilwoman Jerryne Jacob; the Clarisse Machanguana Foundation, led by former WNBA star Clarisse Machanguana; and the Direcção Provincial da Juventude, Emprego e Desporto, which oversees the Pemba Sports Complex and will rehabilitate basketball facilities with U.S. government funding.
Expanding opportunities for young people is an integral strategy of ongoing U.S. government efforts to promote peace and foster resilience in communities of Cabo Delgado. The U.S. government remains committed in working with the Mozambican government and civil society leaders to support locally led solutions in that promote peace, stability, and a more prosperous and inclusive Mozambique for all.
Media interested in receiving more information should contact the U.S. Embassy Press Office by e-mail: MaputoPress@state.gov.
