I love tennis and try to play as much as I can, even when I am traveling. While recently visiting Sierra Leone, a poor country in W. Africa, I played tennis with a local tennis instructor, Edward Baimba, and watched as he gave lessons. Most of Edward's students are employees of non-governmental organizations with projects in Freetown, or students at schools attended by the children of diplomats and other foreigners living in Sierra Leone.

However, Edward has another group of students: the underprivileged children who live near the tennis courts where Edward provides instructions. The students in this latter group are some of Edward's most enthusiastic students. His idea is to enrich the lives of these children with a healthy activity and, perhaps also develop them into Sierra Leone's representatives at junior and senior International Tennis Federation tournaments. He does his best to loan rackets to these students and provide practice balls, sometimes even paying their school fees. He needs assistance in this area.

I witnessed the enthusiasm and hunger to learn exhibited by these young people, despite many of them having to play in sandals, flip-flops, or barefoot. I committed to return home and do what I could to raise resources for these young tennis players, which is why I organized Support Sports in Sierra Leone (SSiSL), a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. The mission of SSiSL is to support Edward's youthful tennis students by giving them shoes to play tennis in, to support them by providing them with hydration liquids during practice and a meal after practice, and also support them in school by giving them school supplies.

Please open your hearts and make a financial donation to this campaign and help grow tennis in Sierra Leone.

Help Tennis Grow in Sierra Leone

Support Youth Development in Sierra Leone