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Hello everyone!
I’m about to share a few things with you that you probably don’t know about me. Hopefully by the end you will be inspired by my vision and excited to help me with the first big step.
But first, a quick story that will put this project into context.
Recently, I was playing with a kid whose tooth was very wobbly. So I asked the dad what happened to the kid. He said nothing happened. Instead he explained to me that children’s teeth fall out at a certain age. I looked at him confused. I then went home and looked it up on the internet. And it was true. Children’s teeth start falling out at a certain age. You’re probably as confused as I was.
You may or may not know this about me but I grew up boxing in the streets. When my teeth fell out as a kid, I always thought it was because I kept getting punched in the mouth. So yes, I just found out at 27 years old that teeth fall off naturally.
So, as most of you may know, I grew up in Bukom, a small community located on the coast of Accra. From the outside, Bukom may seem an undeserving slum, but get closer and you will find the world’s most determined and strong-minded children. In this town, you learn to throw a jab before you can walk. And from then on, you never look back.
Fighting has been part of our history long before boxing was introduced to us. It was a way to earn respect, protect your family, and become a warrior of the Ga tribe. So when Edward Bernaman, a British educated member of the Ga tribe, returned to Bukom and brought with him the rules and institution to formalise boxing in the 1920s, it was a simple transition and boxing became part of the local way of life.
It is no coincidence that in the last 5 decades, all of Ghana’s 5 world title holders come from Bukom. Today kids spend several hours a day training in dreadful conditions, chasing the dream of becoming the next world title holder for Ghana.
Like many communities in Ghana, Bukom however suffers some serious social issues, but the biggest one for me is education. Most kids in Bukom drop out of school at age 12 to help the normal family business of fishing and to box more. I believe in the power of combining sport and education, and I want to use it to support my community.
My vision is to use boxing as a vehicle to educate and develop young leaders in the community. I want to set up a boxing school in Bukom, where we will develop the kids through boxing, education, and leadership programs.
This is my life project, and I’m about to take the first step towards my vision.
What am I going to do exactly?
I will be taking a research trip to Bukom. The results of this research will be a major part of my business plan. The research will be in the shape of community boxing tournament. My intentions are 1. reconnect with the community 2. get to know the locals that are involved with boxing and 3. understand how things have changed since I have been away.
I need $2,500 to do this research, run the tournament and create content around my visit. With this money I will hire locals to help me with the logistic on the ground, I will book a venue, I will provide food and refreshment to the coaches and boxers at event, will hire a photographer, and I will pay the coaches and the fighters for their participation.
Throughout the trip I will be vlogging, so I will present my findings through this vlog where you can get glimpse into the trip.
Right now I feel very confident that I have found my purpose in life, and I want to use my platform to drive this purpose. This is so big for me that I need your help. This is why I am writing to you.
If you can’t support me financially, I will really appreciate any advice and support that you can give me. I appreciate you taking the time to read this.
I’m about to share a few things with you that you probably don’t know about me. Hopefully by the end you will be inspired by my vision and excited to help me with the first big step.
But first, a quick story that will put this project into context.
Recently, I was playing with a kid whose tooth was very wobbly. So I asked the dad what happened to the kid. He said nothing happened. Instead he explained to me that children’s teeth fall out at a certain age. I looked at him confused. I then went home and looked it up on the internet. And it was true. Children’s teeth start falling out at a certain age. You’re probably as confused as I was.
You may or may not know this about me but I grew up boxing in the streets. When my teeth fell out as a kid, I always thought it was because I kept getting punched in the mouth. So yes, I just found out at 27 years old that teeth fall off naturally.
So, as most of you may know, I grew up in Bukom, a small community located on the coast of Accra. From the outside, Bukom may seem an undeserving slum, but get closer and you will find the world’s most determined and strong-minded children. In this town, you learn to throw a jab before you can walk. And from then on, you never look back.
Fighting has been part of our history long before boxing was introduced to us. It was a way to earn respect, protect your family, and become a warrior of the Ga tribe. So when Edward Bernaman, a British educated member of the Ga tribe, returned to Bukom and brought with him the rules and institution to formalise boxing in the 1920s, it was a simple transition and boxing became part of the local way of life.
It is no coincidence that in the last 5 decades, all of Ghana’s 5 world title holders come from Bukom. Today kids spend several hours a day training in dreadful conditions, chasing the dream of becoming the next world title holder for Ghana.
Like many communities in Ghana, Bukom however suffers some serious social issues, but the biggest one for me is education. Most kids in Bukom drop out of school at age 12 to help the normal family business of fishing and to box more. I believe in the power of combining sport and education, and I want to use it to support my community.
My vision is to use boxing as a vehicle to educate and develop young leaders in the community. I want to set up a boxing school in Bukom, where we will develop the kids through boxing, education, and leadership programs.
This is my life project, and I’m about to take the first step towards my vision.
What am I going to do exactly?
I will be taking a research trip to Bukom. The results of this research will be a major part of my business plan. The research will be in the shape of community boxing tournament. My intentions are 1. reconnect with the community 2. get to know the locals that are involved with boxing and 3. understand how things have changed since I have been away.
I need $2,500 to do this research, run the tournament and create content around my visit. With this money I will hire locals to help me with the logistic on the ground, I will book a venue, I will provide food and refreshment to the coaches and boxers at event, will hire a photographer, and I will pay the coaches and the fighters for their participation.
Throughout the trip I will be vlogging, so I will present my findings through this vlog where you can get glimpse into the trip.
Right now I feel very confident that I have found my purpose in life, and I want to use my platform to drive this purpose. This is so big for me that I need your help. This is why I am writing to you.
If you can’t support me financially, I will really appreciate any advice and support that you can give me. I appreciate you taking the time to read this.