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Join Our Team - We Need You!
We are excited to announce our first year of RISEGambia programming through Ascend Together, Inc. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to developing human potential through the sport of basketball in the Gambia, West Africa. Every donation is tax deductable and you can expect 100% of your support to go directly to our mission of doing what's best for kids and increasing opportunities and improving the standard of living for our dedicated team.
What Is RISEGambia?
We (Mike, Seth, and Justin) founded Ascend Together to continue the pursuit of our passion: developing lives through the sport of basketball, particularly in the Gambia.
The three of us returned to Senegal in May 2015 to attend the West Africa Hoop Forum hosted by the SEED Project (www.seedproject.org) and NBA Africa. From there, we returned to the Gambia announcing the formation of Ascend Together. It was during this journey that we began to craft our vision for an after school program aimed at skill development on the court, math and English tutoring/remediation in the classroom, and leadership skills in the community. Through collaboration with the SEED Project, we have modeled this program after NBA and USAID's Live, Learn, and Play program and SEED Rise (ongoing in Senegal).
RISEGambia has partnered with Munazamat Al-Dawa Al-Islamia (Kotu Upper Basic/Senior Secondary School) and St. Therese's Upper Basic School. These schools are eager partners and provide access and facilities. Our first cohort of student athletes come from the host schools as well as Latri Kunda Upper Basic School, Ndows Comprehensive School, SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, and Apple Tree International School. The infrastructure for a program of this kind is much less developed in the Gambia than it is in Senegal, and improving the condition of facilities is a very important goal for us in the future. We have made many connections and are confident the proof of concept demonstated by this first year will lead to more resources and allow us to expand and grow the program effectively.
Who We SERVE
Ascend Together currently operates in the Greater Banjul Area of the Gambia, which includes the countries largest city, Serekunda. Children from this area more often than not face a life of poverty. More than 10% of children in the Gambia will not live past the age of 5. The challenges of severe poverty are hard to overcome. Fifty to sixty percent of the population live below the national poverty line of 1,500 Dalasis (approximately $40) per month. We believe that remediation and tutoring in core subjects, development of self-esteem through sport, and mentoring and monitoring grades, habits, and character will assist young people in their capacity to be independent adults with the ability and desire to affect further long term change.
The Ascend team, working closely with administrators and PE teachers at participating schools, recently selected the 2016 cohort of 60 boys and 60 girls for RISEGambia. Students were selected based on a combination of athletic prowess, academic success, committment and character. Parents and athletes participated in a orientation outlining expectations, and we are currently entering our 3rd week of training and tutoring sessions.
In addition to the opportunites we intend to create for the kids in our program, we are very proud of the team we have the on the ground and the opportunities we have to improve the lives of these young adults. We worked closely with members of the Ascend team during our time in The Gambia and are excited about developing them as coaches, teachers, and mentors.
Where My Donation Goes
Donations go directly towards funding our first year operating costs, including Ascend team member salaries and costs of programming for the kids.
Any additional funding will be spent on Gambian NGO registration, court refurbishments, and beyond that saved for year two programming and eventual expansion.
Other Ways To Help
Beyond your generous donations, there are other ways to contribute and make this happen!
- Help us get the word out about RISEGambia and Ascend Together! Tell your friends about us and use the FundRazr share tools to spread the news as far as possible – on a blog, Facebook page, or Twitter account.
- Start a sub-campaign! This is a great feature that allows you to be an active fundraiser for Ascend Together. We would love to have you and we can help you get started. Your first step is following the link to the right below the perks.
- Opt-in for future updates and newsletters by sending an email to info@ascendtogether.org
Links
www.gambiahoops.wordpress.org - History of our work developing the sport of basketball as Peace Corps Volunteers and students in the Gambia, West Africa.
Let's Ascend; Together.
REFERENCES
Gambia, The
Perks
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A donation of $150.00 covers our administrative expenses for one month. We pay approximately $60 per month for an office space where our team in the Gambia can meet to plan, use the internet, and/or print lessons, practice plans, parent letters, etc. This also covers the living expenses of our American Volunteer Program Manager (also approximately $60.00), as well as a calling plan for our team ($30.00) due to the high cost of pre-paid phone credit. Nothing is wasted and we get a lot of bang for the buck!
- 0 claimed
It costs us right around $300 per month to pay our team of coaches and slightly less to pay our team tutors. Your donation of $300.00 is so very appreciated and ensures our student athletes will have strong leaders to mold them on and off of the basketball court.
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$1,000,00 covers one full month of programming and $250.00 covers a shipment of equipment. For this generous donation we would like to send you a pair of kicks signed by NBA rising star and Gambian son, Dennis Schroder. Big thanks to Dennis and the Flex Gang for this donation.
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For $2,000, we will consult with you on the refurbishment of one of our sites which are both in need of some serious TLC. Want to get content for your business, leave a memorial for a loved one, or deliver a message of any sort? Your money will be put to great use and the renovated court will be used by thousands of kids.
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- 0 claimed
A donation of $150.00 covers our administrative expenses for one month. We pay approximately $60 per month for an office space where our team in the Gambia can meet to plan, use the internet, and/or print lessons, practice plans, parent letters, etc. This also covers the living expenses of our American Volunteer Program Manager (also approximately $60.00), as well as a calling plan for our team ($30.00) due to the high cost of pre-paid phone credit. Nothing is wasted and we get a lot of bang for the buck!
- 0 claimed
It costs us right around $300 per month to pay our team of coaches and slightly less to pay our team tutors. Your donation of $300.00 is so very appreciated and ensures our student athletes will have strong leaders to mold them on and off of the basketball court.
- 0 claimed
$1,000,00 covers one full month of programming and $250.00 covers a shipment of equipment. For this generous donation we would like to send you a pair of kicks signed by NBA rising star and Gambian son, Dennis Schroder. Big thanks to Dennis and the Flex Gang for this donation.
- 0 claimed
For $2,000, we will consult with you on the refurbishment of one of our sites which are both in need of some serious TLC. Want to get content for your business, leave a memorial for a loved one, or deliver a message of any sort? Your money will be put to great use and the renovated court will be used by thousands of kids.
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