By Razeen Gutta
Former Cameroonian champ Joseph Oyebog runs the Oyebog Tennis Academy in his native country to support communities who lack access to facilities.
Oyebog started the academy back in 1999 when he used to pull tennis balls out of trash cans in the USA and send them to Cameroon.
“Being a recipient of such a gift, the love of tennis, I wanted to share this love with other kids,” Oyebog told Reuters.
“We just want to give every child an opportunity to have a clean meal, clean water and a place to play and study.”
Manantsop Delisle, 14, is one of the students that have come a long way at the academy. Oyebog identified her after she lost a practice match six years ago.
“If I had to pay for everything to get her where she is today, I would never have been able to. We struggle to survive,” her mother told Reuters.
The academy offers training at zero to minimal costs and now features 25 centres with over 12,000 students. It is kept afloat thanks to the support of donors around the world.
Pictured above: Joseph Oyebog
Image source: @otacameroon
