Since 1995 · Zimbabwe & South Africa
On the ground
for 30+ years.
We use basketball and life skills to help young people in Zimbabwe and South Africa grow up safe, supported, and ready for what comes next.
It started with
one basketball.
In 1995, our founder Mark Crandall traveled to Zimbabwe, picked up a basketball, and started a program on a local court. A week-long camp turned into year-round work in nine communities across two countries.
The idea was simple then, and it holds now. Show up every day. Give kids a safe place, a team, and adults who believe in them. Use the game to teach the skills that matter off the court.
Powered by the spirit of Ubuntu and the joy of sport, Hoops 4 Hope gives young people the fundamentals and opportunities to be happy, healthy, and safe, both emotionally and physically.
Young people leading long, sustainable lives, and lifting up their families and communities as they go.
Led from within.
Our programs are run by the communities they serve, built on peer mentorship and the Skills 4 Life curriculum with its 7 Tools of an Ubuntu Champion. Kids grow up in the program, then stay to lead it.
The local coaches who run every session. They create a safe, supportive environment and model leadership on the court and off. Their example is the key driver of our impact. Spend a day with Owen Kasengezi, one of our All-Stars:
Young leaders who came up through the program and now mentor the next group. Kids learn from people who sat exactly where they sit. Spend a day with Kuda Chinzara, one of our MVPs:
Rooted in Africa.
Reaching further.
We work on the ground in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Our curriculum now reaches 15+ countries, and Jr. NBA Africa has adopted the 7 Tools of an Ubuntu Champion. Tap a marker to see the work in each place.
Help us keep
showing up.
81 cents of every dollar goes straight to courts, coaches, and kids in Africa.
Donate now →