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Basketball players awarded with certificates

Frank Albin, singer Linda (right), Prof. Seibel (second from right), BAS Coach Pondo Nailenge (third from right), BAS Teacher Franz Hartmuth (fourth from right), Dr. Veii (sixth from right), George Simataa (center in the backround), BAS Coordinator Ramah Mumba (with the cap in the backround) and the BAS children.

Frank Albin, singer Linda (right), Prof. Seibel (second from right), BAS Coach Pondo Nailenge (third from right), BAS Teacher Franz Hartmuth (fourth from right), Dr. Veii (sixth from right), George Simataa (center in the backround), BAS Coordinator Ramah Mumba (with the cap in the backround) and the BAS children.

The Namibian Basketball Federation (NBF) and the Basketball Artists School (BAS) rewarded the children of BAS for their school achievements and general commitment. During an awards ceremony on Wednesday, 27th February at the Katutura Sports Complex, certificates were handed over by Dr. Vetumbuavi S. Veii (Director of Sport in the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture), Prof. Bernd Seibel (Chairperson of the German non-profit organisation ISIBINDI) and George Simataa (New President of the NBF). The ceremony was attended by several parents, volunteers and celebrities.
Linda, the youngest artist in Namibia and famous for her song “I believe”, inspired the children to believe in themselves. Sport Director Dr. Veii emphasized on the importance of education for young sports people and urged the children to work hard both at school and on the basketball court. NBF President George Simataa thanked the BAS volunteers and ISIBINDI for their commitment and affirmed the support from NBF for BAS.
ISIBINDI chairperson Prof. Bernd Seibel thanked Dr. Veii and the Permanent Secretary Steve Katjiuanjo for their continued support regarding the BAS program. He was delighted with the fact that the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture gave the green light for the construction of a BAS classroom in the Katutura Sports Complex, which will soon enable BAS to accommodate more less-privileged children.
In the ceremony 15 awards were given for school achievements and general commitment in 2012. The most awards (four) were collected by 13-year old Michael Shikemeni, who scored as “Most Improved in English” and with the “Highest Maths Result” in term 3-2012 and with “Highest English Result” and “Highest Maths Result” in the whole year of 2012. Shikemeni was a learner at Mandume Primary School until last year but is now schooling at Immanuel Shifidi Secondary School.
BAS is a collaboration of NBF and the German non-profit organization ISIBINDI, supported by the German Basketball Federation (DBB), the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the German Federal Foreign Office. Currently 24 children (12 girls and 12 boys aged 11 to 15 years) are part of the program, which will be extended as soon as BAS has finished the construction of its own classroom. The BAS vision is to empower less-privileged children to attain a better perspective on life through education and basketball. BAS provides daily after-school academic tutoring, life skills, basketball practice and training. The BAS motto is “Education First – Basketball Second”.

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