(MissionNewswire) The Real Madrid Foundation’s international coaches recently traveled to Cameroon to provide a new training course for coaches at a Salesian socio-sporting program in Yaoundé, according to an article from the Real Madrid Foundation.

The training initiative aimed to deepen the understanding for teaching sport methodology. More than a dozen educators attended the training session. The course focused on learning the methodology centered on education through sport, combining theory classes with practical sessions. According to the article, the training “allowed the local coaches to bring their knowledge up to date and take on a range of new teaching tools which will improve their autonomy and problem-solving skills in real-life situations.”

The Salesian socio-sporting program in Cameroon provides comprehensive education for 100 children. As part of the Real Madrid Foundation’s “They play, we educate” program already operating in Salesian schools across the globe, participants receive nutritional, family and psychological support, regular health checkups, and the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops, gymnastics, crafts and reading and citizenship activities. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values, and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse are also provided.

“Sports programs teach youth both on and off the field,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Learning and playing team sports encourages leadership skills as well as teaches youth to work as part of a team. Students also learn important social skills and have opportunities for growth and maturity.”

The collaboration between the Salesians and the Real Madrid Foundation has been very successful, granting more than 2,000 youth and vulnerable children the opportunity to participate in similar programs around the globe. Currently there are 17 socio-sports schools across 12 countries on three continents.

Forty percent of Cameroon’s 23.7 million people live below the poverty line and human development indicators remain low, according to the World Food Programme. Poverty is the highest concentrated in the Far North, North, Adamaoua and East regions. In northern regions, people are often affected by natural disasters and below average harvests which contribute to a continuing cycle of poverty and hunger. The World Food Programme has noted that the number of people facing food insecurity in Cameroon is estimated at 3.9 million, including 211,000 severely food insecure.

Salesian missionaries in Cameroon provide education and social development services to poor youth so they are able to gain the training needed to find and retain long-term employment. They in turn are then able to give back to their families and communities.

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Sources:

The Real Madrid Foundation ‒ The Real Madrid Foundation holds a training course in Cameroon

World Food Programme