Ranchi, Jharkhand April 17, 2015 :: UNICEF has launched an innovative programme entitled “Mein Hoon Champion” in 480 villages spread over 12 districts in Jharkhand. These districts are Palamu, Pakur, Dumka, Giridih, Latehar, Simdega, Gumla, East Sighbhum, West Singhbhum, Dhanbad, Chatra and Ranchi.
The programme, implemented through Nehru Yuwa Kendras and supported by the state department of Sports, covers around 20,000 youth, both boys and girls, aged 15 to 24 years.Objective of the programme
“Main Hoon Champion” programme aims to promote physical fitness, mental well-being, and life skills of youth on leadership, communication, team work, and self-discipline. It builds their knowledge base on issues such as health, nutrition, protection, sanitation, education and culture through the medium of sports.
What is it?
Under the programme, about 30 boys and 25 girls in each village form separate boys’ and girls’ sports clubs. A village coach is then selected from the village, on consensus, who is trained by UNICEF. Each club has its own name, flag, song and playground and undertakes at least 20 sports and learning sessions of 2 hours each in the morning or evening in a month. Every session has a sports session with learning outcome related to health, nutrition, sanitation, education or life-skills. The sports session is followed by an open discussion on the lessons learnt. Parents and community members in the village are also involved and Gram Sabha in each village actively support the clubs.UNICEF has provided sports kits to all villages and has trained the master trainers as well as the youth coaches. The sports kit for each village contains footballs, handballs, volleyballs, volleyball net, inflating pump, skipping ropes, stop watch, whistles, ground markers, cone, measuring tape, and jerseys.
“The programme has been able to mobilize youth in the villages and channelize their energy through sports. Apart from building life skills like leadership and team work, youth of the sports clubs are powerful agents of social change in the village. Every one rupee invested in sports related activities will save three rupees on public health care cost” says Job Zachariah, Chief UNICEF Jharkhand.
UNICEF has already introduced similar sports for development programme for girls in all the 203 residential Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalays in the state. This programme will soon be initiated in all observation homes and for girls in residential Mahila Shikshan Kendras of Mahila Samakhya Society.