Could be My Last

So it’s my last full week in Goma this week. I want to take this opportunity to write about my time here though because with how the internet has been lately, this may be my last post from Africa.

This is more so for me than everyone reading my blog as I’d like to log for myself everything that has happened in these last 8 months, but I am going to just make a bullet pointed list of the things that my organization, Promo Jeune Basket, has been able to accomplish in the past 8 months. I have just been happy to be along for the ride.

1. The whole organization of PJB was reformatted so as to have it organized as a professional basketball program. This includes a board, an administration, and a team of coaches who all work together on a daily basis.
2. We were able to develop two big time international corporate sponsorships (not allowed to name the names) and some local partnerships with other youth initiatives.
3. We built three new basketball courts in the town of Goma. The courts are all designed bigger and better than any existing basketball infrastructure in the whole province of North Kivu.
4. I was able to provide coaching training to the coaches, who in turn I watched grow a lot in their knowledge of the game along with their teaching methods and approaches.
5. The coaches became paid employees of the organization instead of just volunteers as we found funding to pay each coach 150$ a month.
6. We were able to visit the volcano, and the whole group of 10 players and 3 coaches successfully made it up the mountain.
7. We took both a boys and a girls team to Kigali to play international competition and take in the culture of the Rwandese city.
8. We were able to hand out over 30 scholarships. That means that 30 of our kids will be going to school for free this year, which takes off a huge burden on their studies and their families.
9. We entered a boys and girls team into the provincial league. The boys current record is 1-5 and the girls are 2-0. Though 1-5 is a bad record, when have you ever seen an expansion team with a winning record? We are building these teams for the future.
10. Created a PJB calendar, which was professionally designed and printed.
11. Created a new identity for PJB with official logo’s and core values in which the players and organization can ground themselves in.
12. Distributed countless numbers of shoes, basketballs, and meals to the players of PJB.
13. Partnered with a local library and hired a teacher to assist in our educational mission.
14. We moved into an official and permanent office.
15. Many more daily miracles that happened in the lives of our players and coaches as they worked together that cannot be quantified. PJB developed into a family

Overall, I know that my time here has been productive, and it sure has been rewarding. More than any of the accomplishments that we were able to succeed in this year I am forever going to be changed by the relationships I formed with my players, fellow coaches, and local friends. Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I came here, I have been changed for good.