The Live, Learn and Play project, a private-public partnership between USAID and the National Basketball Association (NBA) to promote youth development and leadership in Senegal through sports, kicked off its third season last weekend by organizing a basketball tournament at and reaching out to the private sector for support of the initiative.

Since 2014, LLP has used basketball as a platform to teach life skills to girls and boys between the ages of 13 and 18. The program trains coaches who mentor youth, and builds leadership and citizenship skills so youth can more effectively engage and serve their communities. LLP works in more than 20 schools and youth clubs throughout Dakar and Thiès, and trained 180 coaches and close to 900 youth.

“Education is a top priority for USAID in Senegal,” USAID Mission Director Lisa Franchett said at a dinner with private sector partners. “Schools today don’t always provide youth with the opportunity to develop leadership and team skills at an early age. LLP provides kids in Senegal a means to grow as future leaders through sports.”

At the events NBA was represented by Amadou Gallo Fall, who got his start with the U.S.-supported SEED project in Senegal and now Vice President of NBA Africa, former NBA All-Star Cedric Ceballos, former WNBA champion and Senegal legend Astou Ndiaye and Mozambique NBA legend Clarisse Machanguana.

On Saturday, boys’ and girls’ teams from Dakar and Thies played a series of matches to the delight of the spectators, and NBA Milwaukee Bucks mascot Bango wowed the crowd with a series of springboard slam dunks.

With more than half of Senegal’s population under the age of 20, USAID and the NBA want to provide young people such opportunities to build up their skills, values, and social responsibilities in order to benefit their country and the whole African continent.