【Project Activities】

The Smokey Mountain Baseball Project (SMBP) is an initiative in the Tondo district—an urban slum area in Manila, Philippines—using baseball as a vehicle for support. Since 2012, once a year, former professional baseball players from the Meikyukai and volunteers from Japan have visited Manila to conduct baseball clinics and exchange activities.

【Project Background】

A project originally run by JCI Tokyo since 2012 was transferred to our organization in 2019, and we have since planned and managed it. This time, after the long COVID-19 period, we were able to hold face-to-face exchange activities on site again.

【Project Objective】

• Support for educational advancement through baseball
• Support for employment through baseball
In the Philippines, baseball can provide children in low-income areas an opportunity to obtain scholarships and continue their education. For families to break out of poverty, it is not enough to provide goods; what matters is helping children learn about and access pathways and opportunities to escape poverty, and enabling them to hold hope and dreams for their future.

【Project Area】

Poverty reduction through sport

【Methods】

Support for events and competitions

【Outcomes】

Together with 30 Japanese volunteers (including seven former professional players), we implemented events for 270 local children. As a special guest, Mr. Alex Ramirez (former manager of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Meikyukai Hall of Fame member) joined us, enabling a full-scale program and coaching for the children. As of January 2023, a cumulative total of 101 SMBP graduates have obtained scholarships and advanced their education through baseball.

【Voices from Participants and Partners】

“Although the time was limited, I was able to interact with local children through sport. I felt their straightforward attitude and powerful energy that belied the environment they grew up in, and gained insights and emotions that are hard to experience in Japan.” (Volunteer from Japan)
“As a resident of the Philippines, I was honored to be involved in an initiative that shows Filipino children new possibilities.” (Volunteer resident in the Philippines)

【Challenges and Lessons Learned】

Securing supporters and funding so that this initiative can be sustained.

【URL】

https://nbacademy.jp/smbp/index.html