Grab Our Mission
Our mission is to help support childhood education through basketball. In the 3rd world Africa, kids are constantly battling the pressure of staying in school while striving against hunger and poverty. Due to lack of support, kids continue to find lesser motivation in staying in school because their parents can barely afford to give them the support needed to be educated. In Nigeria today, unemployment is at a high 60 percent. This has led to a massive decline in reinforceful movement towards the education sector. While most parents still have nothing but the school systems to keep their kids safe and out the streets, the under-developed education system is just not enough. As a kid who had to go everyday with no hope for change, the reality of the hardship of life in Africa scoured away my hopes and dreams. It was through basketball that my dreams were brought to life. Through God’s favor, I have an engineering degree and I was a division 1 basketball athlete. Because of that, I have a story to inspire the world. Basketball provided me a healthy environment to learn about hard work, leadership, and persistence. We can’t convince all kids to stay in school, but we can use basketball to lure them away from the streets and inspire them to stay in school. We believe through love, care, and respect, we can teach these young men hard work, resilience, and perseverance.
Our Goal
Our goal is to continue to find ways in tackling the difficulty and lack of resources that restrict African kids from sports, education, and a good life. Africa has a wide pool of kids with great athletic and academic upside, but 70 percent of these kids cannot afford to stay in school or play the game of basketball. I was able to become an engineer and play at the division 1 level not by might alone but by the support and love of the good people of said foundations. The dream is to tackle these issues by finding ways to provide basic amenities of life like water, food, shoes, and clothing, building basketball courts, supporting education through scholarships, mentoring young kids into adulthood and annual basketball clinics.
– Moe Muhammed.
Our Projects
Our projects look to empower kids with hope through basketball breathing life to dreams and belief of a better future through the provision of some basic amenities of life. Listed below are some of our initial projects, but we keep working and expanding with time.
- Give away 100 shoes to kids in Suleja, Nigeria.
- Renovate an outdoor court in Suleja, Nigeria.
- Donate 500 basketball shoes to kids in Suleja, Nigeria.
- Build a free public Water borehole in Suleja, Nigeria.
- Mentor 100 kids through college/Pro Athletes in America.
- Launch the first Annual basketball clinic in Suleja, Nigeria.
- Build a home and/or a shelter for homeless kids in Suleja, Nigeria.
- Build the first public indoor court in Northern Nigeria for kids.
Grab the Challenge
The educational system in Suleja, Nigeria does not support sports recreational exercise in a form of livelihood. With the hardship brought on kids by hunger and poverty, kids find no motivation in going to school. They are forced to believe that without success in get-rich-quick schemes, most dreams are not worth living for. The kids, whose parents cannot afford the education, are forced into hard labor jobs at an early age to support their family, hence forced to give up on their dreams for a better tomorrow. With high level of unemployment in Nigeria today, more and more people are beginning to step away from education and move towards seeking livelihood at a young age. In Suleja, Nigeria, sports and education are still seen as a waste of time and effort. Bright talents are lost continuously at a young age due to the lack of support.
Summary
In Africa, kids are limited in their access to education, health, recreation, and sport involvement. Kids from an early age must kick aside their dreams and desire to indulge in sport activities for life demands like working hard labor jobs and catering for themselves. We want to use basketball as means to attract, nurture, and inspire young boys and girls to pursue their dreams. We find basketball to be a tool to help support and guide kids towards a rich, promising, and resourceful life. Our goal is to empower kids in Africa to believe in their dreams and know that being born in Africa is not a sentence to a life of hardship. Through education and basketball, we breathe life to hope and dreams that every man is born entitled to.
Long Term Goal
At Grab Foundation, it is more than just basketball. Basketball is merely our way of reaching the youths. It is no news that the youth of this age have an exhilarating appeal to sports. Reality of the hardship in Africa has made childhood education in the rural areas a sector that continues to suffer. With unemployment rate in the high 60 percentile, families are starting to see less value in formal education. Why spend money, time, and resources for fifteen years towards a degree when the economy has no job to offer? Grab Foundation believes that the best form of livelihood is found in being able to offer basic necessities in the community. We have a program that looks to bring the youth together and teach them invaluable skills like web design, marketing, graphic design, skills in technical appliances, and so much more. The goal is to use basketball to encourage education and skill development. With our skill development program, kids will not have to depend on a degree or basketball alone to succeed. We are in reality, empowering these kids with the necessary skills to grow and support their families. While this is a long-term goal, our projects are designed to slowly help lay the foundation for our end goal. Our shoe drives help support childhood sports and encourage education. Our basketball renovation seeks to provide a safe place for kids to find recreation and escape from the harsh reality they live in. Our clinics and mentorship program will help educate and guide these kids first-hand towards believing and staying true to their commitment. Follow our journey to see our goal unfold.