Street Providence takes the sports route, launches 'Olympic Dreams'

PANAJI
Street Providence Goa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) involved in shelter homes for people with disabilities and food banks in Goa and a few other States has stepped into the sports arena with its latest project which aims to fuel the Olympic dreams of Goan youth and take them to the top level.

“Olympic Dreams from Street Providence Goa is aimed at encouraging talented Goan children who have the potential to reach the Olympics in the future, with a focus on individual sport,” says Donald Fernandes, the founder of Street Providence.

Concerned with the growing trend of young children spending much of their time on mobile and TVs, Donald and his team at Street Providence decided that they had to do something about it and what best than use sports as a medium of change.

“Outdoor activities are slowly getting pushed away and sports is one way to get children to play, sweat, exercise and be refreshed both at studies and sporting activities,” said Donald. “Today’s children are more glued to the screen (mobile) and it's time to get them to the ground and the sports arena,” he added.

“Today young girls are diagnosed with thyroid at an early age and young boys are spending too much screen time and have become addicted to mobile phones,” he added. “Goa and Goans are hardly competing at International events, especially the Olympics and it's time to revive our sporting legacy which once Goans shined in the past,” he said.

Donald believes in the mantra of catching them young and training them at a young age and the results will show in years to come, a time-tested formula followed by sporting giants all over the world.

“Children if tapped at a young age and spotted at a young age, can be molded into future champions,” he said. “In 8 years from now or maybe 12 years from now, we can try to get our Goans to compete at the Olympics - possible and achievable hence the project name - Olympic Dreams,” said Donald referring to the name of the project.

Talking from personal experience Donald said: “Where there is a will there's a way. Everything starts with a seed and I myself planted a small seed in my nine-year-old son about two years back by introducing him to archery."

“Due to Sir Zito who spotted my son's talent at his school, today we see a dream of him competing at the Olympics,” he added.

The Olympic Dreams project will step in to help children with disabilities and from rural areas. “Many children either with disabilities or from rural parts of Goa or economically poorer sections of society may be good in sports but there's no one to support their dream. We through our project Olympic Dreams will step in,” added Donald.

“Street Providence seeks to provide them with sports equipment, nutrition, jerseys and training kits, transport and lodging costs for participation at various tournaments,” Donald said.

“Just like we have projects like shelter homes for people with disabilities, food banks to feed the poor, physiotherapy units for the homeless, free cake for senior citizens with disabilities, we now have Olympic Dreams,” he added.