Watoto Family, we are excited to report that we have broken ground for a basketball gymnasium at our Suubi Children’s Village, a project set to transform not only the lives of the children but also impact communities across Uganda.

Speaking at the groundbreaking, Pastor Eddie Mwesigye, the pastoral team leader, recalled his first visit to Suubi in 2003. “We were about to travel with the children’s choir, so we drove here with Pastor Gary. This place had nothing—just a bush. They had only cut down grass for us to drive through,” he said.

That day, they prayed that God would turn the land into a “village of hope” where dreams could come to life. “It amazes me to see where we are today. What we only imagined in 2003 is now a reality. We are living the dream,” he said joyfully.

He attributed the progress to partnerships with the global church. “What you see here has not been built by Watoto alone. We have friends and partners all around the world. No one achieves something great alone,” he said.

One of those partners is Grace Christian Church in Kentucky, USA, whose pastor, Andrew Brown, is sponsoring the gymnasium project. Ps. Andrew visited Suubi in 2019 during a basketball camp and was struck by how sports connected with young people.

“We wanted to be part of making that dream happen by giving them a proper place to play basketball. It’s hard to shoot hoops in the wind outside, so we said, let’s build a really nice gym,” Ps. Andrew said.

His church committed to the project in 2021 and by 2022 had pledged funding to bring the idea to life. “It has been a journey, but I believe this facility will serve not only Suubi children but also the nation. Sports teach young people how to win, how to lose, how to work together. This gym will raise leaders who will change Uganda,” he added.

According to the Project Manager Aaron Kiguli, the gymnasium will feature a special court surface to reduce player injuries and natural ventilation to cut power use. “One of the major impacts is raising leaders because basketball, like many sports, teaches the basics of life—life is a team game,” Kiguli noted.

Watoto’s Head of Sports, Milton Ashaba, described the facility as “a dream come true” that will expose athletes to better training and skills development. “The better the facility, the better the athletes become. With such a project, we will also engage the community and share the Watoto culture in new ways,” he said.

Anthony Dibzo, who heads basketball at Watoto Villages, explained that the gym would help students gain exposure to national-level basketball. “If we host national teams, they will also engage with our students. That’s opportunity, partnerships, and even sustainability through league games and qualifiers,” he explained.

For the young players, the excitement is tangible. Javan Japheth, a Suubi basketballer, said the facility will change their training experience. “We’ve been changing in the bushes, which we nicknamed ‘our covers.’ Now we will have dressing rooms and bathrooms. No more excuses about rain or the sun—we’ll be able to push ourselves harder,” he said.

Construction is expected to begin immediately and the opening of the gym ceremony held next year in September and thus continue to raise godly leaders through sports.