Meet Chloe, an eighth grader from Sparks Estate Secondary School in Durban, South Africa. She’s an avid reader and baking enthusiast, but her biggest passion is basketball. Chloe found her love for basketball at PeacePlayers, where five years ago she learned to play the game for the first time. Since then, basketball has been a gateway to stunning achievements: Chloe has been the captain of her team, a two-time PeaceLeague MVP, and a two-time Spirit Award Winner at PeacePlayers’ City-Wide Tournament. This year, she also joined PeacePlayers’ Leadership Development Program. Read on to learn what makes her tick and her secrets to success.

My name is Chloe Wright, and my experience with PeacePlayers has been amazing. I have gotten to encounter new cultures, learn new languages and meet diverse people. My favorite thing about PeacePlayers is that I get to play my favorite sport, which is basketball, and take part in the tournaments and other festivities. This is where I get to meet new friends. These events are the highlight of my basketball experience.

Through competitive sports, PeacePlayers helps to promote gender equality. As a young girl, playing basketball shows me that females can do anything that we put our minds to, as basketball has been a predominantly male sport.

Basketball also promotes social cohesion among young children in my community. It keeps them busy and out of trouble, especially after school. What I like about basketball is that, from a young age, it teaches us how to communicate, how to trust, as well as about teamwork, helping to shape us for our future. My new school does not offer basketball as a sport, which makes me very sad, but I stay involved and active as a part of PeacePlayers’ Leadership Development Program.