The SBA Sports Management and Entertainment Group is pleased to announce a partnership between the Street Basketball Association (SBA) and the African Tourism Organization (ATO). This newly created strategic alliance will further enhance the SBA’s International African Development Program as well as promote the ATO by raising additional awareness of the problem of human trafficking, illegal migration, sexual exploitation, and overall poverty in the Sub-Sahara African nations.
Aside from being the first U.S. professional street basketball league, the SBA is the first ever international basketball/entertainment organization that is fully committed to the overall development of the sport of basketball as well as teaching life skills, self sufficiency, and providing overall holistic development of African youth. The SBA’s International African Development Program has created a forum through basketball and education where youth can reach their potential with character building activities, focusing on leadership development, teamwork/unity, responsibility, conflict resolution, and other lifestyle enhancing intangibles.
“The SBA is proud to partner with the ATO, becoming a vocal opponent of human trafficking and serving as an additional vehicle for the ATO to launch our 21st Century Campaign Against Human Trafficking in Sub-Sahara Africa. Our goal is to partner with government and the private sectors in 10-12 African nations to ‘Kick-Off’ our ‘Stop Human Trafficking Campaign’ with an educational seminar and SBA “Show” exhibition in each country,” states Jerrod Mustaf, SBA CEO and newly appointed President of the ATO. The SBA/ATO partnership will pursue full integration of all youth and young women in the educational system, while immediately launching a campaign in the locales most severely affected by human trafficking, educating and creating additional awareness of this inhumane practice.
In addition the SBA/ATO alliance will leverage its collective resources to simultaneously challenge the governments to draft legislation to prevent and prosecute human trafficking and to invest in life management skills and educational programs to create healthy options for youth and young women. The African Tourism Organization (ATO) mission is to build capacity, raise awareness, support victims, improve research and data collection, identify and demand reduction and prevention methods in Human trafficking, sexual exploitation, commercial sex, illegal migration, advocate a protocol for safe return and recovery of Sub – Sahara African Victims staying consistent with the United Nations Millennium Goals and Poverty Reduction Programs.
“The United Nations Millennium Development Goal and Poverty Reduction Programs of the African Tourism Organization (ATO) concern development, co-ordination, and training to reduce the demand of all sort of Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration by building knowledge and understanding, prioritizing law enforcement, immigration, hotel industries and youth response; Raising awareness of the key issues and development and delivering relevant training, develop and promote a victim centered human rights based approach to deal with trafficked victims.” Through the SBA/ATO partnership, the organizations’ goals focus upon initiating a long term developmental project that uses sports to promote awareness of a humanitarian campaign that reduces the demand of human trafficking, illegal migration, assists in victims care, and creates a healthier living environment by improving overall sanitary conditions in rural and urban settlements.
The SBA has spearheaded the movement of bringing the fusion of sports, entertainment, hip-hop music, and overall basketball and life skills development to many regions of the world and with this announced partnership with the ATO look to further support humanitarian efforts throughout the African Continent.
For additional information regarding the Street Basketball Association, The SBA International African Development Program, and the African Tourism Organization please visit the following websites:
www.streetbasketballassociation.net
www.african-toursim.org
