Driving Impact Through Sports and Leadership

Team DBA is proud to reflect on a transformative first quarter. Our vision remains clear, prioritising girls’ inclusion, fostering local leadership, and ensuring long-term sustainable impact. Through our grassroots sports initiatives, we continue to build essential life skills, confidence, and a sense of community. By providing coaching, mentorship, and scholarships, we empower talented young athletes from underserved backgrounds to progress through ethical and structured pathways.

Empowering Change, The "Tackle It" Programme

At the start of the year, we were privileged to launch a partnership with the Barbarians Charitable Trust to implement a dedicated Gender-Based Violence (GBV) programme. This initiative supports both boys and girls in developing mutual respect and healthy social boundaries.

The results across the Rift Valley and Western regions have been nothing short of inspiring.

"Seeing the behavioral change in these young student-athletes has been remarkable. We are witnessing a fundamental shift in their thoughts, beliefs, and actions," — Pius Shiundu, Tackle It Lead.

Pathways to Education and Global Opportunities

Our commitment to showcasing talent yielded significant milestones this quarter. Building on the momentum of last year’s rigorous competition schedule and regular fixtures, our athletes have remained in the spotlight. We are thrilled to announce that 14 girls and 1 boy from our programs have secured scholarships to schools across the country.

On the international stage, our partnership with Wazi Wazi has reached a historic peak. Since mid-last year, we have supported Andy Cole in his pursuit of higher education and elite sport at Tenri University in Japan. This quarter, that dream became a reality as Andy officially received his international scholarship and relocated to Japan to begin his university career.

Community Engagement: The Great Leveller

The community remains at the heart of DBA. This quarter saw the continued success of "The Great Leveller," a 5km Loresho run initiated by Storm Trentham earlier in the year. The event brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds to compete against their own personal bests, embodying our belief that sport is the ultimate equalizer.

On-Field Excellence and Recognition

Competition remains a cornerstone of our development strategy. A major highlight of our recent fixtures featured the DBA U13s taking on the IAPS Kenya Combined U13 team, providing our players with invaluable experience against the nation's top age-grade talent.

To cap off a successful quarter, DBA Africa was honored with a nomination for Academy of the Year at the African Global Awards. This recognition serves as a powerful testament to the tireless "behind-the-scenes" work our team invests in youth development.

As we look toward the next quarter, we remain energized and committed to creating even greater opportunities for the youth of East Africa.