From the UK to East Africa: How Two Young Volunteers Brought Lacrosse – and Leadership – to Life

Last year, DBA Founder Storm Trentham spoke at an England Lacrosse training camp, sharing her journey with Kenya Lacrosse and the inspiration behind launching DBA Africa. In the audience were two athletes who were so moved by her story that they’ve decided to join us in Kenya this summer to volunteer with DBA for a few weeks. A simple talk in the UK turned into a transcontinental project that empowered youth, deepened global connections, and strengthened DBA Africa’s grassroots sport programming. Karina Henshaw and Kiara Kenney spent three weeks embedded in the DBA Gap Year Programme, supporting events, coaching sessions and equipment distribution in Kenya and Uganda.

Before setting foot in East Africa, the two mobilised lacrosse communities across the UK, collecting sticks from schools, clubs and international players. Among the donors was Haberdasher’s Monmouth School for Girls in Wales, which contributed their full stock after retiring from the sport.

Once in East Africa, Karina and Kiara personally delivered the equipment and got involved day-to-day. Most of the sticks were delivered to the DBA Lacrosse Academy in Kampala, with others supporting sessions at Daystar University and Buruburu Girls in Nairobi. Many of the young athletes they worked with had never had their own lacrosse stick before. In their hands, it became more than a tool for sport

Beyond logistics, the gappies threw themselves into daily operations such as refereeing and coaching lacrosse, mentoring and helping organise and run events like the Future’s Cup and the Kingsley Cup. Their time here was more than volunteering; it was shared experience, humility and real contribution. Through their lens, we saw how sport is shaped by action, not distance. ‘The joy in the faces of the young lacrosse players is something we will never forget. Giving them, to us, what would be a simple stick, means more to them than you could imagine. It was a real eye opener as to the disparity between what we have in the UK compared to those in Kenya and the experiences and lessons we have learnt will be with us forever,’ said Karina on departure.

Still in the pilot phase, the DBA Gap Year Programme invites youth from around the world to contribute meaningfully to sport and development. Karina and Kiara showed that leadership and integrity don’t wait for titles. Sometimes, they arrive quietly, with duffel bags of lacrosse sticks and the willingness to serve.