Power Forward celebrates 6th anniversary

Power Forward, a youth development initiative of ExxonMobil, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the international NGO Africare, teaches health literacy (malaria prevention and hygiene promotion) and life skills such as leadership, respect and personal responsibility through basketball and other programming to positively impact Nigerian secondary school students in Abuja. ExxonMobil continues to be a corporate leader in the fight to reduce the global burden of malaria.

Former NBA player and 2015 NBA Champion, Festus Ezeli, and an NBA dunk squad featured at the 2019 Power Forward Finals held at the National Stadium in Abuja on Friday, 27 September.

Students from 10 secondary schools participated in the basketball league. The schools represented were; Model Secondary School, Maitama, Rahinna Model Schools, Jikwoyi, Raberto Schools, Wuse II, Divine Mercy Secondary School, Asokoro, Glisten Int. Academy, Jahi, Total Child Model School, Dutse, Govt. Sec. Sch. Karu, Govt. Sec. Sch Zone 3, Govt. Sec. Sch Garki and Govt. Sec. Sch Airport.

Overall, through its programming the program has trained over 2,000 students including 1100 direct beneficiaries and 900 peer influencers from 30 schools in Abuja to date.

In 2019 the program reached over 12,200 students and community members with Public Health messaging in Malaria prevention strategies, Sanitation and Hygiene Education, Menstrual Hygiene Management, Environmental Protection (air pollution).

To date, the program has cumulatively reached 65,500 youth in school and vulnerable communities with life skills information, provided more than 6,500 persons with malaria prevention strategies and treatment and established 20 hand wash stations to promote hygiene and promote exemplary leadership skills; over 5,000 students were engaged on air pollution awareness campaigns with 450 female students from the 30 schools were engaged in a Menstrual Hygiene Management Awareness program.

The Power Forward program was inaugurated in Abuja on November 19, 2013 with a Tip-Off event featuring NBA and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) representatives, Nigerian policymakers and influential personalities.

The NBA and WNBA players and legends who have participated in the program to date include Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, former NBA players Obinna Ekezie (current CEO of Wakanow), Olumide Oyedeji, Kelenna Azubuike, Pops Mensah Bonsu and Jerome Williams, WNBA’s Chiney Ogwumike of the Connecticut Sun, Evelyn Akhator of Dallas Wings and former WNBA player Mactabene Amachree and Astou Ndiaye.

Since 2000, ExxonMobil-supported programs have distributed more than 14 million bed nets, nearly 3 million diagnostic tests and more than 4 million antimalarial treatments – reaching more than 125 million people worldwide.

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