Athletes from Ghana and Benin Republic have confirmed their participation at this year's Hope4girls holiday basketball camp taking at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park in Yaba, Lagos.10 students from the two West Africa nations will join their Nigerian counterparts at the four-day exercise for athletes below 17.According to the founder of the organization, Bolaji Akiode, 'Hope4girlsafrica is going into its third year as a nonprofit organization dedicated to using sports to empower and encourage the young girls of Nigeria and Africa.'She added: 'Our princess academy, which we started just a year ago with partnerships that will grow to 12 government schools in Lagos has grown in leaps and bounds in the last year. To celebrate our accomplishments and part of the true nature of the Christmas season Hope4girls is having its 3rd National camp that will include Ghana, Benin Republic, and of course Nigeria. 'The camp will take off on Tuesday December 27 to 30 with over 60 athletes expected to be part of the exercise.Akiode, a former national player said: 'Our goal has always been to support young girls through basketball and also spread the benefits of participating in sports in addition to education. Hope4girlsafrica is not just about basketball, we also engage our girls in social programmes targeted towards young girls during the year and at every camp we have a life seminar sessions every day to add to the depth of the program.'For this year's edition, she said: 'Our topics of focus will be dental and oral hygiene, gender violence and rape, nutrition, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. These are issues we feel are important to the overall development of the girl child but it is being neglected in school.'He however, lauded sponsors like Nike and Victoria Secret that have been part of the exercise since its inception, while commending the efforts of the Lagos State Government for backing the event.
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