Basketball to keep kids away from drugs in Ecuador Coast.

Basketball to keep kids away from drugs in Ecuador Coast.
In the last years, Ecuador’s northern coast has become a major area for drug trafficking and consumption, bringing the major Colombian and Mexican cartels to use its beautiful beaches to send speed boats and homemade submarines full of pure cocaine to the USA markets.
Much of these drugs stay behind, flooding impoverished communities and schools, unleashing crime and destroying the existing social network.
Younger people and children are the most vulnerable to drug use and to being recruited to work for the drug dealers. Poverty, lack of education and low self-esteem make younger people easy prey of drug dealers.
Keeping the youth away from drugs requires many conditions, stronger self-esteem, group work, and community engagement are very important. Participating in sports keeps youth engaged in the community, away from drug use and offers opportunities to build positive social relationships, self-confidence and life skills.
The Raíz Foundation objective for the 2018-2019 period is to have 4 coaches and 300 kids training in 3 categories, boys and girls. Today our entity is capable of supporting 1 coach with 75 kids.