Shebani Kabura Is Living His Dreams

Playing at the UK Tour in May 2010

My name is Shebani Kabura. I was born in 1998 at a place call Buyenzi in Burundi. Buyenzi is a very small slum known widely in Eastern Africa, just like Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, where there is no electricity, water is hard to find and very few toilets. I was brought up in a very poor family and grow up in a very bad environment. My parents are both jobless and we are ten in our family. I have been playing tennis since I was 8 years old. I used to follow my older brother, Amadi Kagoma, to a local tennis club in Bujumbura, where I would help Amadi when he played with rich members and their children, while picking balls, in order to get some money to pay for our school fees, buy ourselves clothes and food for our family.

I learned a lot while copying my brother Amadi, and he always said that he would one day to go to a good school and get a good job, like many of the rich kids did. When he joined Malezi School in 2006, I was very happy for him, but very sad, because I could no longer follow him. In 2007, when I was 9 years old, Kassie McIlvaine, who had sponsored Amadi to Malezi told me that she would help me go for a special camp in Sadili, and if the lady there liked me, then I would get to join Amadi. I was very excited! I went with a team of players from Burundi, many of us from Buyenzi slum. When we were there, we met many other kids from around Africa and made friends. That is when I met Dr. Liz Odera, who was in charge of Sadili Oval. For two weeks we worked very hard and learned about life and played tennis for many hours. Then some of us were chosen to go for interviews at Malezi School. I was very scared. I did not pass the interview well, but I was one of the 3 children chosen that year, because of my hard work during the camp.  I remember that Coach George Muga taught me my backhand during that camp, I had never played a backhand before.

I joined Malezi School the next year, and now I was very happy, because I was back with my brother and he looked after me until I made my own friends. Catching up with school was hard because I had to learn English as we spoke French in Burundi, and I often got into trouble because I did not understand what the teacher was saying and reading was hard for me so I would do my homework. The only subject I liked was Maths because the symbols were easy to understand.  I enjoy tennis, and training is very tough. I am working hard to pass my final primary exams this year, and I am praying that Dr. Liz chooses me to join the Sadili Talent Training Academy, next year, where I can balance school and tennis and play many junior tournaments like my brother is doing. I am now ranked number 1 in the Boys Under 16 Tennis Africa Cup, and number 10 in the Confederation of Africa Tennis. With Sadili, I have travelled to America in 2009, where I won a Boys Under 14 tournament. I don’t know what I want to be in the future, but I know that it will have a tennis racquet.

Yasin Shabani Takes A Positive Turn

My name is Yasini Shabani. I am 17 Years old. I was born in Arusha, Tanzania and come from a very  humble family. My parents run small business to keep food on the table, and I often missed school for long periods to help out. I like playing tennis after I finish my studies every day. I started playing  tennis when I was 12 years old. I couldn't  improve my  game as  fast as I would have wanted because I lacked the facilities.
When the Sadili Oval Tennis Team came to my country for a tournament, I played very well with one of   their  top  players although I lost narrowly. Due to this, I got a scholarship the following year to join Malezi  School, and I finally got a chance to have a good education. While at Malezi, I have  played tennis  at the National Secondary  Schools Games for the past three consecutive years for the school team, which have been winners for the last eight years. I have been playing for the Tanzanian national team for 5 years and I have been the Team captain. In 2009, I represented my country in the Africa Junior Championship in Morocco, and I have also played the East Africa ITF 18 and Under Circuits since 2008. I do well  in both my academics and tennis. My dream is to become a tennis  professional in the future and an Architect, because I like to design things.

HENRY AYESIGA IS AIMING HIGH

My name is Ayesiga Henry. I am from Uganda. I was born in 1997 and I am 13 years old. I came from one of the small slums found in Kampala, Uganda. Life in that area is hard because of the Hygiene and Health of the place. I was brought up by my Father and Mother. My family is made up of five children. We are four boys and one girl. I am the second born child. I was introduced in tennis by my father because he was working in a tennis club called Kampala Club as a grounds supervisor. The salary that he was getting was not enough to sustain us with all our needs. That made our life hard, because my mother had no job and staying in school was very difficult. I joined tennis at the age of 8 years, while picking balls for members at Kampala Club to earn some money and help my mother and I found the game very interesting. I started working very hard with the encouragement of my father and a member of the club, Mr. John Nagenda, who told me that tennis was my talent. One day, I was told that there was going to be a free tennis camp for all children at Lugogo Stadium, and many children went, and I got to meet Dr. Liz for the first time. Because of my efforts and hard work, I was given a tennis scholarship in Kenya, I have never been so happy and my parents are very proud of me. I finally got to go to Malezi School and I train to improve my tennis at Sadili Oval. My dream is that one day I will become a professional tennis player and a Lawyer after school. I also play basketball and football during my leisure time. I one day dream of achieving my goals and help my family, relatives and friends who need my help. Malezi has helped me to know myself and to discover who I am, and I managed to complete the primary school with good passes in KCPE and graduated to high school this year, where a few of us are now part of Sadili Talent Training Academy, which helps us balance between school and tennis. Through Sadili, I now play very well and have represented Uganda in Under 14 tournaments, and I am also number 2 in the 16 and Under and number 1 in the 14 and Under in the Tennis Africa Cup tournaments (www.tennisafrica.info). In April this year, I played the ITF 14 and Under Circuit, and was runner-up in the first event and won the second one, making me number 18 in the Confederation of Africa Ranking. I also work with younger children from the slums of Kibera every Saturday, helping coach and advise them, all of us are expected to do this at Sadili, and I find it very interesting mentoring other children and watching them improve. I know that it is not easy to look after me, and hope that more people will come out to sponsor more children, but this is my home now, and I am sure that Malezi and Sadili will help me to achieve my goals for the future.