At the risk of stereotyping, it is beginning to seem like the French are not very fond of borders. Fifty years ago, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) was founded in Paris by doctors, nurses and other medical personnel aiming to bring humanitarian aid to regions of crisis and conflict around the world. In 1985, Reporters Sans Frontières was born in Montpellier, France, and to this day continues fighting for the freedom of the press in all corners of the globe. The following year, Sarah Hanffou (pictured) was born in Roubaix, France. She would grow up to be a lawyer, but a talent for sport also landed her a spot on the French national table tennis team. In 2005, the team traveled to Niger, where Hanffou saw children playing ping-pong in the streets with improvised equipment. Then came the "light bulb" moment. In 2006, Hanffou founded Ping Sans Frontières (PSF), a non-governmental organization designed to expand children's access to table tennis worldwide. Donations are funneled to construct inexpensive tables for after-school programs in target communities in Africa, Haiti and a growing global footprint. With more tables in schools, more children are motivated to attend, thus fulfilling the PSF motto, "Éducation au bout de la raquette" (education at the end of the racket). Now, the French Agency for Development (AFD) and Paris 2024 have recognized Hanffou's work, selecting PSF as part of an "incubator" program of athlete-entrepreneurs working to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). PSF will receive financial and logistical support for eight months to support their efforts in France and 10 countries in Africa. "To make my project a long-term success, I need help with how to best go about it all," says Hanffou. "That’s where the incubation program will be so useful to me. In this group, I can see all the ingredients that helped me succeed in sport – collective competitive spirit, guidance, training and the will to achieve a goal. With my new coach, and my new team mates, I feel like I’m setting out to win another medal!" Ping Sans Frontières gives new meaning to the phrase, "border skirmish." With a fearless trailblazer like Sarah Hanffou leading the charge, the smart money is not on the borders.

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