Giants of Africa

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TORONTO, ON (July 25, 2018) Giants of Africa, the not-for-profit co-founded by Toronto Raptors president, Masai Ujiri today announced they will visit seven countries across the African continent this August. Celebrating its 15th- anniversary, Giants of Africa has committed to hosting basketball camps and community outreach initiatives in Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

“Over the past 15 years, I have seen the impact basketball can have not only on one kid, but also on their entire community,” said Ujiri. “When I started Giants of Africa, I envisioned providing African youth access to the game and empowering them to achieve their greatest potential. With 63% of Africa’s population below the age of 25, we have a huge goal and responsibility to help them develop. We are excited that this year we are able to extend our reach further across the continent to help realize that dream.”

Giants of Africa youth camps will kick off in Rwanda from August 6 to 8, Democratic Republic of Congo from August 10 to 11, Uganda from August 13 to 14, Kenya from August 16 to 19, Nigeria from August 21 to 24 and conclude in Senegal from August 26 to 28. The organization will host girls’ camps in tandem with its boys’ camps in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal. Giants of Africa will also activate local outreach initiatives in the communities of Kakuma, Maiduguri as well as Bingereville, Ivory Coast.

Ujiri launched Giants of Africa in 2003 in Nigeria, with aspirations to leverage basketball as a tool for young boys and girls to Dream Big, and maximize opportunities for their future in Africa. Since its’ inception the not-for-profit organization has expanded its footprint and programming across the continent and beyond the game prioritizing skills training and personal development encompassing basketball, health and wellness, leadership and social impact.

In addition to activating basketball camps and community outreach initiatives in August, Giants of Africa also trains local coaches in each community to learn from international premier level coaches. Each year, local and international coaches unite to serve as role models for youth participants to teach, motivate and encourage them to continue working hard to achieve their goals.

As Giants of Africa’s furthers its commitment to creating pathways for African youth through the game of basketball, the organization recently announced a game plan to develop multiple basketball courts in an effort to nurture the next generation of African leaders. On July 16th in Alego, Kenya they unveiled a court built in partnership with the Sauti Kuu Foundation.  The launch event was attended by notables including President Barack Obama, as well as NBA athlete, Bismack Biyombo.  Giants of Africa will infuse local flavor into the design aesthetic of each basketball structure to feed into the vibrant youth culture in each African country.

A native of Nigeria, Ujiri’s love of basketball paved his way to becoming the first African-raised general manager for a major North American sports team. Giants of Africa leverages basketball as a tool for young boys and girls to Dream Big, and visualize opportunities for their future in Africa and around the world.

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Giants of Africa Celebrate 15th Anniversary With Youth Basketball Camps

The African youth-focused organization celebrates 15 years of service with the opening of new African culture-inspired basketball courts across the continent, starting in Kenya in partnership with Auma Obama Foundation.

Toronto, ON (June 26, 2018) - Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri, announced today a game plan to build a number of basketball courts across the continent this summer in an effort to grow the next generation of African leaders on behalf of his not-for-profit organization, Giants of Africa. This move kicks off the celebration of Giants of Africa’s 15-year commitment to creating pathways for African youth through the game of basketball. The first facility will open on July 16th in Kenya in partnership with Dr. Auma Obama’s Sauti Kuu Foundation, an organization focused on creating structures to help youth become mentally, socially and financially self-reliant. Ujiri plans to infuse local flavor into the design aesthetic of the basketball structures to feed into the vibrant youth culture of each African country.

The timing couldn't be better. Africa is in an economic and culture boom, and the youth are at the center of it. Recent studies have shown that the continent is thriving with opportunity and dominated by youth. Africa is the second-fastest growing region in the world, touting 1.2 billion consumers, with 63 percent of the population below the age of 25.

Empowered by the impact the game has had on his own journey, Ujiri co-founded Giants of Africa with aspirations to leverage basketball as a vessel for young boys and girls to Dream Big, and visualize opportunities for their future in Africa and around the world. Since its 2003 launch in Nigeria, the not-for-profit organization has expanded its footprint and programming across the continent and beyond the game. The organization has prioritized skills training and personal development from basketball, health and wellness, to leadership and social impact.

“Over the past 15 years I have watched countless timid, hopeful kids transform into inspired, mission-driven leaders as a result of simply being exposed to more,” said Ujiri. “As we work to create greater opportunity for young adults on the continent, expansion is our natural next step in delivering on our mission. Basketball opened so many doors and built me up on many levels, so I’m excited to pay that forward to the next generation of African giants.”

The custom Giants of Africa basketball court will be part of a larger multiplex space in Alego, Kenya designed for young people and their families to achieve their greatest potential.  Obama’s Sauti Kuu Foundation aims to help children and young people from rural and urban communities, discover the strength of their own voices and the power they have to positively change their lives. The organization works in tandem with children and their families to develop sustainable socio-economic structures that will promote financial independence.

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Masai Ujiri's Giants of Africa Builds Basketball Court in Kenya for Next Generation Youth

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GOA Gallery - #KenyaDreamsBIG

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GALLERY: Giants of Africa in Uganda

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GALLERY: Giants of Africa in Rwanda

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Giants of Africa, the organization founded by Toronto Raptors President, Masai Ujiri, today announced it will conduct basketball camps in six countries across Africa in August. Dedicated to supporting the growth of basketball in Africa, Giants of Africa will host skills camps in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal in August 2017. The youth focused camps will kick off in Rwanda from August 7 to 9, Uganda from August 10 to 12, Kenya from August 13 to 15, Nigeria from August 18 to 20, Ivory Coast from August 23 to 25 and conclude in Senegal with boys’ and girls’ camps from August 26 to 28.

“Sport can change the world” said Masai Ujiri. “Africa must rise and the way we get there is together. One of Giants of Africa’s fundamental mottos is - Dream Big. We believe that basketball can be used as a tool to educate and develop youth around the world to accomplish their dreams. In addition to training coaches in each country and building infrastructure, we strive to serve as role models for these kids to learn from and be motivated by hard work. We feel a deep sense of responsibility to help them develop as athletes and be good citizens within their community."

Giants of Africa summer camps band together elite and emerging coaches from across Africa and internationally. The skills sessions are tailored to develop aspiring basketball athletes both on and off the court. Sessions over the course of three days will focus on helping players develop athleticism, enhance life skills, set goals and inspire them to accomplish their dreams.

While in each country, Giants of Africa will be participating in outreach projects in each local community. In Rwanda the team will be opening a new court at Rafiki Club. Kenya community outreach will include projects impacting the neighborhood of Kayole. The Giants of Africa team will be visiting Little Saints Orphanage in Nigeria, Cite d'Ivoire Orphelinat De Bingerville in Ivory Coast and will support the SEED project in Senegal.

In addition to running basketball camps and community outreach initiatives across the continent, the organization will also be screening its documentary of the same name, “Giants of Africa” in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria. The film which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival documents Toronto Raptors President, Masai Ujiri’s work to inspire and create opportunities for youth in Africa through basketball. The film, Giants of Africa tells the story of a movement that Ujiri envisioned 14 years ago. At the core of the film is the notion of using basketball as a tool to create lasting change and to empower others to dream big, while growing the game in Africa.

A native of Nigeria, Ujiri’s love of basketball paved his way to becoming the first African-born General Manager for a major North American sports team and he never forgot his roots, or the opportunities presented to him. Inspired by the NBA’s ‘Basketball Without Borders’ program, Giants of Africa exists to create those same opportunities for not only African youth, but also for coaches and mentors who go back to their own homeland to influence future generations. Since the Giants of Africa camps began more than 100 camp attendees have moved on to high school or university in the United States, with around 20 now playing professionally in Europe.

Giants of Africa 2017 camps will be made possible with the support of partners including the NBA, Nike, Nestlé Milo, Ecobank, MLSE Foundation and Sportscorp Travel.

Giants of Africa was founded in 2003 to make a difference for kids in Africa using basketball as a tool. The organization’s mission is to use the game of basketball to educate and enrich the lives of the African youth by providing quality facilities, coaching and instruction. To learn more about the organization go to giantsofafrica.org or follow Giants of Africa across the following social platforms: Facebook.com/GiantsofAfrica, Instagram.com/giantsofafrica and www.twitter.com/@GiantsofAfrica

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Masai Ujiri and Giants of Africa To Run Camps in Six African Countries This Summer

To know Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri is to know his passion. Whether he is talking about the Raptors, basketball in Canada or something else entirely, it’s almost impossible to finish a conversation with him without having more energy than when it first began. Of all of Ujiri’s passions, giving back to the youth of Africa is one that’ll always be at the top of the list. Ujiri’s dedication will be on full display during the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of the Giants Of Africa documentary this Friday.

“On behalf of [director] Hubert Davis and the team that worked so hard to tell the story of these children with a dream in Africa, we are honoured that Giants Of Africa will be showcased at one of the world’s greatest film festivals,” Ujiri said. “We believe that sport really can change the world and encourage these youth to dream big. We are very grateful to the Toronto International Film Festival for giving us such a powerful platform to tell their story and ultimately helping these young people realize their potential through the game of basketball.”

Ujiri founded Giants Of Africa in 2003 with a mission of using basketball as a tool to help educate and enrich the lives of youth in Africa. Mixing basketball instruction with life lessons, the summer camps aim to be a positive space to encourage growth and urge campers to dream big. Executive producer Michael Gelfand started assembling a crew to capture footage and tell the story in the spring of 2014. Two years later, the group couldn’t be more pleased to be invited to the festival.

“To have this film screen at TIFF on the heels of such a great basketball season for all of us, it’s just really special,” Gelfand said. “It’s an added bonus and it’s really prestigious. We’re very grateful that TIFF invited the film to the festival and we’re excited for people to get to see it.”

After 13 years of camps, Giants Of Africa extended its basketball mission to six countries this past summer. Ujiri and his team visited Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Botswana and Senegal in August.

It’s something he’s passionate about,” Gelfand said. “His job is fully the Raptors, and he’s passionate about the team, but when he goes home at night he lives and sleeps and breathes Giants Of Africa and his home continent. He created these camps to use basketball as a tool that would empower both through sport. Our Open Gym crew had actually gone a couple of years ago and experienced the camps first hand. Watching the footage, I felt like it was a perfect fit for a long format storytelling like a documentary. After talking with Masai he agreed that would be something that would be amazing to explore and here we are.”

Gelfand believes viewers will not only learn more about Giants Of Africa and the work the foundation does, but also be inspired as they watch the stories unfold in front of them.

“The camp is all about positive momentum and creating opportunity,” he said. “When you’re watching the film, one of our goals from the filmmaking team, and the director of the film, Hubert Davis, captured this beautifully, is this is supposed to be positive. This is about hope. This is about sports providing an arena for the youth in Africa to find their place and do something positive with their time. That’s really what it’s all about.”

While the camps are centered around basketball, the lessons and life skills passed along extend well beyond the court. Conversations about education, respect and kindness are as likely to be happening as ones about the fundamentals of a jump shot.

Gelfand views the documentary as the beginning of storytelling through Giants Of Africa. As the foundation continues to grow, so will the stories that are born because of it.

“I think we’re going to continue telling the stories of the campers to see where they’re going and how they do in life,” he said. “[We’d tell viewers] to stay engaged with Giants Of Africa because we learn a lot from the kids that go there.”

The first time the film was shown, was during All-Star weekend. Of course, this past February marked the first time that an All-Star game had been held in Toronto. From there the Raptors completed their best regular season and made it to the Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. It has been a very big year for basketball in the city and, in Gelfand’s eyes, the timing of the project showing at TIFF couldn’t be better.

“The message resonates globally,” Gelfand said. “It’s really for everybody, everywhere. It’s kind of like a timeless story. It’s for everybody.”