Children’s achievement and socialization through sport
The benefits of sport no longer need to be proved : a training for democracy, contributing to exchanges, respect of rules, search for excellence and acceptation of failure…
Niger’s youth Olympiad
The State of Niger launched (with support from the Cooperation service of the French Embassy, a sport project ‘Niger’s Youth Olympiad’, aiming at boosting physical and sport from primary school onward.
The project relies on the franco-nigerien educational and cultural network, with the Niamey and Zinder CCFN, the Agadez and Maradi Alliance Française, the La Fontaine French High School in Niamey.
OJEN implemented 4 regional team projects, each involving a dozen persons, conducted by a national organization office, based at the CCFN Jean Rouch in Niamey.
Its principle involves organizing mixed sport meetings (with girls and boys in each sport) during the 2019/2020 school year, and the 4th 2020 term. 36,000 children from 60 primary schools located in 4 towns (Niamey, Agadez, Maradi, Zinder) are concerned.
400 teachers have been trained in Sport and Physical Education and each participation schools has been fitted out : jumpers for children, track suits for teachers, balls for football, rugby, volley-ball, equipment for athletics and langa, and first-aid kits.
Inter-regional meetings
The first Sport and Cultural Youth Olympiads took place in Zinder from February 29th to March 1st, gathering several thousand pupils from the 4 regions involved in the project.
From October 23rd to 25th, Maradi organized its own regional meeting, gathering 20 pupils from Maradi, 10 from Tibiri, and 10 from Dogondoutchi and Dankassari, within the Orsay Dogondoutchi and Cesson-Dankassari decentralized cooperations, namely : 5 pupils from Dankassari (3 boys, 2 girls) and 5 pupils from Dogondoutchi (3 girls and 2 boys). Not counting the pupils coming from other regional delegations : alltogether 100 participants. The competitions included : cross country race, football, and langa, with sport shows (martial arts, vortex, taekondo, rugby, volley-ball) and cultural activities martial arts.
Arewa’s Youth local Olympiads
Within the OJEN, “Football and Cross Country inter school Olympiad” have been organized, due to take place in both Dogondoutchi and Dankassari, within the Dogondoutchi and Dankassari Decentralised Cooperation.
The Olympiads are implemented, conducted and supervised by Arewa Football Club, namely: the 9 members of the Administration Board of the AFC, the 22 players of the department’s team, their 3 coaches, the Sport Education teachers. It benefits from the organization support of RAIL and RAEDD, the facilities devoted to the Orsay-Dogondoutchi and Cesson- Dankassari, as well as from primary schools management federation: COGES.
In both districts, the third and fourth grades in four primary schools are involved in organizing mixed soccer Olympiads, and 18 sixth and seventh grades in middle school are s involved in organizing mixed cross country Olympiads.
The Olympiads last over 7 months, from October 2020 to April 2021. In February 2021, Also Saïdou, president of the AFC opened the Olympiads with the first trainings.
A photo report funded by AESCD was achieved by the Nigerien photographer Abdoul Aziz Soumaïla. That exhibition (Inter School Dogondoutchi Dankassari Olympiads) was exhibited early in June at the Niger CCFN. It is published on Tatbiyya Tatali’s website.
Ten teenage runner-ups in the Olympiads, from Dogondoutchi and Dankassari, were invited on June 16th to Niamey, within the International African Child Day.
School Sport Project
RAIL and RAEDD intend to develop the following sport sections in Dogondoutchi and Dankassari :
• Athletics, including reliability, speed, high and long jumping.
• Traditional wrestling.
• Football.
• Langa.
• Volley-ball.
• Handball.
• Creative and traditional dance.
• Ballet.
RAIL and RAEDD also intends to organize training and reinforcement sessions for coaches.
Presented to MEAE by Orsay Town Council in partnership with Orsay Doutchi Exchanges, the project was approved in the 2021 summer for the 2021-2023 span.
The project’s official opening took place on Monday October 2021 in Dogondoutchi, and was attended by both Mayors and school authorities.
It was followed by a training session for 25 Secondary school sports teachers, who will support 65 male and female primary school teachers and consolidate sports activities in secondary schools.
On January 29, 2022, a Sports Festival took place in Dogondoutchi, the students of Dankassari came by bus to participate.