Fundraiser for Franck's Adoption (and more...)

Hey guys, as most of you know already, I have been living in Cameroon full-time as a volunteer since 2019, teaching jiu-jitsu to kids at the Francis Ngannou Foundation.

One of my first students was a 14-year-old lad called Franck. Franck was abandoned by his father when he was born, and as his mum didn’t have the means to support him, she sent him to live with his Aunt in the village. He only saw his mum during the school holidays.

In October 2017, Franck’s mum died suddenly from an unexpected medical complication. The first time he ever saw his dad was when he stopped by at the funeral.

While Franck was grieving the loss of his mother, his aunt suggested that he go to the Foundation to train jiu-jitsu, to take his mind off things. This is when we first met.

Fast-forward to 2021… Me and Franck had become such close friends that he asked if he could come and live with me. Now, 2 years later again, I am trying to legally adopt him, because he has become like a son to me.

We have already filed the court order for the adoption. Now we are just waiting for the decision. The whole process has been very expensive… To date, the legal fees are at 950,000 fcfa (£1,250).

From the 10th July, I will no longer be teaching at the Foundation. As I have no money, I will temporarily leave my family here in Cameroon and come back to the UK with Franck to try to help him make a career in jiu-jitsu. We have 21 competitions lined up until the Europeans in January. Hopefully, at some point, we will earn enough money to support the rest of the family.

Alongside our busy competition schedule, we will also be travelling around the UK teaching seminars, both to recuperate the adoption fees and also support the rest of the family back in Cameroon.

If anyone is interested in booking us for seminars, please DM on Instagram (@SamCrookBJJ). Or if anyone is able to donate, we would massively appreciate the help.

Thank you all in advance for the support!