Shakehand Youth is a charitable organization (501(c)3) that aims to bring table tennis to underserved children in Haiti.

 

Two thirds of Haitians live below the poverty line, and many children’s lives are compromised by poor health care and education. The UN affirms that sport can contribute to peace and sustainable development, and research shows that it can help young people overcome childhood traumas and improve mental health and wellbeing.

 

Table tennis promotes socialization, improves health, fosters gender equality and enhances communication skills. It is a sport that can easily be played in a variety of physical and social settings. Building on the work of Haitian table tennis coach Mozart Francois, Shakehand Youth raises money to support table tennis programs for children in Haiti.

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To date Mozart and his friends have been running table tennis programs in Haiti on a shoestring, but this is unsustainable. The expertise, the networks and the team are all there, but without adequate funding now all these things may be lost.

 

With local schools, we have created a 3-year program of table tennis in and around the Haitian city of Jean-Rabel. Our efforts are focused on securing sporting facilities, buying equipment, providing snacks and clean water for the children, and supporting table tennis programs for hundreds of Haitian children.

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.Please support our efforts to give Haitian children back their childhoods.