Children and young refugees from Kyaka II enthusiastically rediscover the joys of basketball

Refugees from the Kyaka II Refugee Settlement Camp in Uganda are enthusiastically rediscovering the joys of basketball thanks to the creation of a basketball academy that brings together refugee children and young people and residents of local communities.

A basketball court was set up for refugees from the Kyaka II Refugee Settlement camp, a remote village in western Uganda. This is the first time in years that a basketball court has taken shape in this region. So when Coach Matabishi Bumba went to the academy to distribute basketballs donated by Didia Don Bosco Secondary School in 2020, the refugee children and young people could hardly contain their joy and excitement. Before, they improvised with volleyballs and on a volleyball court, balls that were cheaper and easier to get. And when the young girls and boys of the academy decided to create teams to play basketball "for real", because they already knew the basic rules. "On the basketball court, the young girls were the first to try and the guests were impressed with how efficiently they organized teams of five players each and immediately started a game," said Matabishi. Bumba Muke.

The news of the arrival of these basketballs spread like wildfire in the different areas of the Kyaka II Refugee Settlement camp in Uganda.