BEHIND TENNIS FOR ALL UGANDA BY LAURA POLA

It all started with one net, three rackets and ten balls…

Two men, Julius Kyobe and Vince Mwereza, cousins, fathers, and tennis coaches, doubled up in 2012 and said, “ if we’re going to do anything for our community, why not go and help those that are in similar situations we once were?” And that was getting kids out from the slums and giving them a chance to prove they deserve better. 

If you’ve ever met Julius and Vince, you wouldn’t think they were born and raised in the slums of Kampala.

It all started when Vince was invited by a friend to ball boy at the tennis courts during a member’s lessons. At this club, sports like field hockey, boxing, basketball and badminton was all available to play. Having fell in love with the sport there and then as a young kid, years later had opened up the chance for him to take a coaching course and progress his learning.

Vince currently teaches tennis in one of the the finest country clubs in Kampala and lives out of the slum passing on the lessons and possibilities to other young aspiring kids to do the same. He hopes that he is able to give many more kids the opportunity he had through teaching the life lessons through tennis. 

Julius, born and raised in the Nsambya slum, being the younger cousin, was introduced to tennis by Vince at 10 years of age. Years had passed, where Julius was exposed to the same environment and had taken his education all the way finishing his degree in civil engineering at Kyambogo University. Upon graduation, Julius decided to stick to tennis as a coach. He fell in love with the sport and more importantly loved the friendships that it brought him. 

Walking around the city with Julius and Vince, you can tell they are well known and liked by many from the community. Definitely the people I’m grateful to have by my side walking through these streets of the city. 

From what started as an idea of getting more kids playing tennis from the slums to now housing nearly over 200 kids with tennis equipment to play, providing food, classroom sessions, and building players to represent East Africa in ITF tournaments, they would say it has been a very long road, and some of the hills have been steeper than others. 

As the capital city of Uganda is experiencing partial lockdown due to — we all know — the organization has needed to cut down the number of kids to 50 players, classroom teaching has taken a pause due to lockdown restrictions and funding for food has been a bit tight.

As the project continues to fill in funding for the tennis court in the community centre, funding for food and school are the main priority on the list for these kids. 

The organization heavily relies on donations of any amount from the public and those connections outside the country. 

If you wish to share in aiding to the hundreds of kids that are benefiting the program, please go to their GoFundMe Page here.

More info can be found at www.tennisforalluganda.org and on Instagram at Tennis_forall_Uganda.