In communities across sub-Saharan Africa, access to opportunity is often shaped by geography, gender, and income. For many girls and youth, particularly in underserved areas, sport can be more than a game, it can be a pathway to empowerment, education, leadership, and self-worth. That’s the driving force behind DBA Africa, a grassroots PBO working at the crossroad of community, sport, development pathways, and opportunity.

Founded with a mission to harness the power of sport for social change, DBA Africa currently operates in Kenya and Uganda, with ambitions to expand into more East African Community’s. We deliver high-impact, low-cost sport for development programmes that reach thousands of young people every year. The DBA Africa model is simple but effective, investing in community-led academies, empowering local coaches, and blending life skills with sustainable development goals delivered through fun, engaging learning techniques.

Despite limited funding, we run initiatives across rugby, football, lacrosse, and athletics. These aren’t just training sessions, they’ve become platforms for tackling gender inequality, addressing mental health, preventing violence, and bridging critical education gaps.

Through partnerships with schools, local leaders, and international allies, DBA Africa has:
• Established multiple community sports academies in high-need regions
• Supported hundreds of girls with access to mentorship, menstrual health education, and leadership development through sport
• Helped aspiring athletes secure scholarships and pursue higher education globally
• Trained local coaches, creating employment and sustainable community capacity

We place a strong focus on girls’ inclusion, recognising the deep-rooted social and cultural barriers they face. By using sport as an entry point, we’ve seen remarkable shifts, from increased school attendance, improved confidence, to greater participation in discussions in the classroom and community.

We do all this with a lean structure and a grassroots ethos. We’re not a large agency with hundreds of thousands in funding, we’re a hands-on team working directly with communities on the ground. Every shilling counts, and the impact is real.

It our hope that our work shows what’s possible when youth are empowered and when sport is used not just for play, but for progress. With greater support, we can scale our impact and reach more girls, more youth, and more underserved communities across the Global South.

Join us, support local grassroots solutions. Support sport for change, support DBA Africa