Sam Jalloh's MOTIVATE AFRICA Tour 2021

OVER 5 weeks, 10 countries, over 10,000 miles on some of the roughest roads in Africa, Tennis coach Sam Jalloh returned to his native and beloved homeland in October 2021 to travel through some of the most beautiful cities and villages bringing tennis to underprivileged communities along the way. Sam spoke to tens of thousands of kids, adults, schools, athletes, TV's, radio stations, restless nights, sleeping rough and eating all kinds of things!

Sam shipped all the donated equipment from donors to Africa Tennis Aid and other individuals in the UK to Ghana and Sierra Leone in June 2021, ready for him on his arrival in Africa 3 months later. It took 6 hours to pack all the hundreds of items donated, 500 + miles drive back and forth to Central London from Liverpool and £700 Sam had raised to ship them. In total, it took him 15 hours on the road, and to load the equipment in boxes!

But time and effort is worth it!

OCTOBER 2021. First stop on the MOTIVATE AFRICA 2021 Tour was spending time in 'The Smiling Coast of Africa', The Gambia, with coaches from the Gambia Tennis Association and children at the Bakau Upper Primary School. Motivate Africa continued on to Sam's native country Sierra Leone, first visiting the City of Makeni, donating some of the equipment to wonderful coaches workshop and tennis clinics for underprivileged communities at the national stadium in Freetown and other towns. Over five weeks, Sam visited, taught and donated tennis equipment to communities in 10 African countries...

The Gambia

Senegal

Guinea, Conakry

Sierra Leone

Liberia

Ivory Coast

Ghana

Togo

Benin

And, Nigeria

Here's some photos and videos showing his journey spreading his love for tennis throughout West Africa with tennis donations.

SIERRA LEONE

MAKENI CITY

Sam's highlight of his tour in Sierra Leone was getting more girls involved with tennis! Lots of girls in Africa are oppressed by a perpetual culture of domestic expectations of their gender and sexual harassment within sports which keeps them out of participating. Sam is patron of Girls In Sport and campaigning for change for gender equality in sports.

Field Tennis "Kids Happy" Our Sport has no boundaries!

KABALA, KOINADUGU DISTRICT

BO CITY

LIBERIA

MONROVIA

GHANA

Where ATA first begun with Sporting Opportunities! The Winneba Sports College, Ghana was the next stop on Sam's MOTIVATE AFRICA tour spending four days helping his former mentor Noah Bagerbaseh Bukari to motivate the next generation of Ghanaian youths through tennis

Great help from Wilson Europe for donating Junior Rackets, bags, shoes, clothing and tennis balls.

NIGERIA

OYO STATE, IBADAN

Sam is thankful to all of you out there for your wonderful help and support with tennis equipment donations and support for himself, coaches, players and friends in Africa, this would not have been possible without your support. MOTIVATE AFRICA 2021 has truly inspired him, and knows it has inspired thousands of children around West Africa and beyond.

Thank you to Sutton Churches Tennis Club, Sutton Tennis Academy, Amer Sports, Wilson Europe and various individuals who donated for MOTIVATE AFRICA 2021 appeal and helped bring tennis to more people in Africa.

Further funds are still needed to send shipping of more equipment and donations to Africa in the future and if you can help please see https://www.gofundme.com/f/spj-foundation

Got tennis donations? Willing to send them to the UK or Africa? Get in touch africatennisaid@yahoo.co.uk