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Amare Stoudemire, on a Mission

August 29, 2008 3:06 PM

There's a lot of reality in the world these days -- and while it's not all bad, plenty of it is.


In that setting, something entertaining like basketball can be a welcome departure. It can also be, sometimes, missing the point.

We can act sometimes like missed shots are crises, when of course they are little tiny things in the big picture.

It's good to be reminded of that, and Amare Stoudemire is the latest player to drive that point home.

Remember he was interviewed on Suns TV the other day? He was a little bit coy, in that interview, but he definitely said he was going to be doing some travelling. And the exact way he was coy gave the impression is was something pretty big.

Turns out it's kind of huge.

Stoudemire has already left for Sierra Leone -- by all reports a beautiful place, but one where the life expectancy is miserable. In 2000, a report found that healthy humans born in Sierra Leone can expect to live, on average, just under 26 years. 26! Pathetic. That was the worst life expectancy on the planet at the time, and it was not all that close.

Quoting from the BBC, at the time of that World Health Organization report:

Alan Lopex, co-ordinator of the WHO Epidemiology and Burden of Disease team, said: "Healthy life expectancy in some African countries is dropping back to levels we haven't seen in advanced countries since Medieval times."

Amare Stoudemire will be turning 26 this fall. Who knows if that's what motivates him. But he's there now -- with the singer Angelique Kidjo (who has a song lyric saying "you don't have to be old to be wise") as part of an effort to bring new wells with safe drinking water to as many people as possible.

Although since that report the vast conflict of Sierra Leone has subsided, there is still widespread premature death, from causes like HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Many also die from diseases related to a lack of clean drinking water and sanitation, which is Stoudemire's particular focus.

In a press release (the entire thing is after the jump) Stoudemire says: "This is a trip that I've been looking forward to taking my whole life. We've already begun to help the communities in Sierra Leone, and it will be great to see the efforts in person. One water well built can provide water for 450 people, so as you can see, the impact will be really great."

NBA STAR PHOENIX SUNS' AMARE STOUDEMIRE HEADS TO SIERRA LEONE TO BUILD WATER WELLS

(Los Angeles, CA)- NBA Star Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire is taking a trip to Sierra Leone, West Africa on behalf of his foundation, Each 1, Teach 1, and the Zee Community Development Foundation (ZCD) on September 1-4 to unveil various project sites where he has donated money to rehabilitate wells. In this visit, which will include meetings with the Minister of Sports, Vice President, and President of Sierra Leone, the famed power forward will visit water well sites in Gao Village and Makereh and meet with community members.

"This is a trip that I've been looking forward to taking my whole life, said Stoudemire, "We've already begun to help the communities in Sierra Leone, and it will be great to see the efforts in person. One water well built can provide water for 450 people, so as you can see, the impact will be really great."

Grammy-Award winning singer and UNICEF ambassador Angelique Kidjo, will also be making the trip to appear with Stoudemire, on behalf of her organization, Batonga, which brings education to young girls. The two of them will visit the children and women that are aided by organizations such as the Children Associated With the War (CAW), UNICEF, and FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists).

"I am greatly delighted to have Amare come to this post conflict country," said ZCD Founder and Director Zainab Beckett, "and support my foundation's effort in promoting the welfare of the devastated and impoverished Sierra Leoneans. The work we have started with Amare's Foundation in providing clean drinking water is a high priority for majority of the populace and has created a real impact on the lives of at risk communities that have benefitted."

The high death toll, particularly with women and children, caused by preventable water- and sanitation-related diseases is being combated with Stoudemire and ZCD's collaborative efforts. Stoudemire's visit will not only be a motivation for youth in sports, but it will give a new face to ZCD's goals in providing all households with safe and clean drinking water, improving the health of the average Sierra Leonean. "WATER IS LIFE" is the motto that the people there live by.