DBA Africa’s Lacrosse Academy in Kampala is more than a sports programme; it’s a community led intervention using lacrosse to empower youth, build leadership and open global pathways. With two Ugandan born players currently pursuing scholarships in the United States, the programme translates grassroots impact into opportunities on the global stage. A clear example of how sport, when developed with purpose and access, can unlock personal growth, leadership and long-term opportunity.

Grounded in Local Leadership

The DBA Lacrosse Academy is led by players from Uganda’s National Men’s Team, was originally set up by the two scholars now in the US. Now DBA Africa provides equipment and programme oversight while paying the local coaches to drive day-to-day activities, ensuring the initiative remains rooted in local ownership and expertise.
Each weekend, young boys and girls from low-income Kampala neighbourhoods and informal settlements learn the sport of lacrosse. For many, this is the first time they’re learning a sport beyond football or rugby but the academy nurtures not only athletic skill but confidence, teamwork and inclusion.

Global Support and Equipment Drives

Recognising the lack of domestic lacrosse supply chains in East Africa, DBA Lacrosse Academy depends on international donations of equipment. In the UK, English Lacrosse players held drives, collecting used men’s and women’s lacrosse sticks to support the growth of the sport. In Wales, Haberdasher’s Monmouth School for Girls (HMSG) donated all their sticks after ending their own lacrosse programme.
Two volunteers, Karina Henshaw and Kiara Kenney, students in the UK joining DBA Africa’s Gap Year programme in Kenya, brought these donations to East Africa.  The bulk of the equipment is now with the DBA  Lacrosse Academy in Kampala, while some went to support Daystar University’s Programme and Buruburu Girls academy in Nairobi.

In a country where sports funding rarely reaches communities, this lacrosse initiative provides an inclusive alternative.

DBA Africa’s approach reflects an intentional design where programmes are evidence-driven, locally managed and transparently resourced .With more youth now learning lacrosse, more girls joining and wider school adoption increasing in Kenya and Uganda, the sport gains traction and, becomes yet another way DBA Africa turns local potential into national progress and global visibility.