Basketball Court in Nepal
Donation protected
I am Jake Johnson. I am a 17-year-old (almost 18) student in Stockholm, Sweden. In the summer of 2016, my family visited Nepal. We volunteered at a Learning Center in Bandipur, Nepal. I was exposed to a different way of life in Nepal. Those living in Nepal are completely focused on survival, however, being exposed to Nepalese culture allowed me to see that they still find ways to enjoy themselves. One of the most prominent ways of entertainment was sports. The main sport they played was football.
When we visited Bandipur my family commissioned a local ironworker to build a basketball hoop. We had brought the rim from Sweden, and we could not ship a full basketball hoop. The local ironworker set to work immediately, and the result was a fantastically built basketball hoop by the end of the school day for the children. Everyone at the learning center was filled with excitement. The most prominent feeling I had was the excitement of the girls. Football was, after all, a “boy sport” and the boys would not let them join. As soon as the hoop was safely put up a group of three girls came up to me to ask if they were allowed to play. My reaction was an instinctual “Yes, of course!” The youngest girl ran away jumping and the elder two grabbed each other's hands in excitement. Later, we played the first-ever basketball game in Bandipur, Nepal. Since there was not any cement to play on I allowed “traveling” so the children could pick the ball up and run. It was chaotic and fun. Both boys and girls participated. It was incredible to witness.
The people of Nepal are extremely loving and well mannered. They live by experiences in life rather than what they own or material possessions. For a person coming from the USA and Sweden, it was beautiful to watch the people of Nepal accept our gifts with grace. No matter what they receive they were wholeheartedly grateful.
I believe it is time to return the purity of the Nepalese people, and I believe one way of doing this is to continue to introduce basketball to Nepalese children. This time I want to build a basketball court in Katike, Nepal.
The funds will go to:
Cement for the basketball court (we need approximately 33 cubic meters of concrete which are around 1280 bags of 50-kilogram cement)
Basketball hoops (160 USD for each hoop and a mount combo)
Paint for the lines(13 USD per can and we need approximately 10)
Labor of local Nepalese Contractor (not decided yet)
When we visited Bandipur my family commissioned a local ironworker to build a basketball hoop. We had brought the rim from Sweden, and we could not ship a full basketball hoop. The local ironworker set to work immediately, and the result was a fantastically built basketball hoop by the end of the school day for the children. Everyone at the learning center was filled with excitement. The most prominent feeling I had was the excitement of the girls. Football was, after all, a “boy sport” and the boys would not let them join. As soon as the hoop was safely put up a group of three girls came up to me to ask if they were allowed to play. My reaction was an instinctual “Yes, of course!” The youngest girl ran away jumping and the elder two grabbed each other's hands in excitement. Later, we played the first-ever basketball game in Bandipur, Nepal. Since there was not any cement to play on I allowed “traveling” so the children could pick the ball up and run. It was chaotic and fun. Both boys and girls participated. It was incredible to witness.
The people of Nepal are extremely loving and well mannered. They live by experiences in life rather than what they own or material possessions. For a person coming from the USA and Sweden, it was beautiful to watch the people of Nepal accept our gifts with grace. No matter what they receive they were wholeheartedly grateful.
I believe it is time to return the purity of the Nepalese people, and I believe one way of doing this is to continue to introduce basketball to Nepalese children. This time I want to build a basketball court in Katike, Nepal.
The funds will go to:
Cement for the basketball court (we need approximately 33 cubic meters of concrete which are around 1280 bags of 50-kilogram cement)
Basketball hoops (160 USD for each hoop and a mount combo)
Paint for the lines(13 USD per can and we need approximately 10)
Labor of local Nepalese Contractor (not decided yet)
Organizer and beneficiary
Jake Johnson
Organizer
Stockholm, AB, Sweden
Nancy Johnson
Beneficiary
