Our Story
African Grassroot Hoops is a development organization that grows leaders by encouraging them to open their minds to a world of opportunities. We were established November 2014 and registered as a non-profit company (NPC) to bring basketball to Africa starting with Cape Town and surrounding areas.
Our plan is to get a basketball in the hand of every kid we come in contact with and for them to understand that that ball symbolizes a vehicle of opportunity. By partnering with community basketball enthusiast in areas that have been underdeveloped you can use basketball to reach our young and impressionable individuals. We believe in empowering basketball player and coaches to adapt a mindset that says that the sky is the limit
Our drive is to be a source of hope, empowerment and outlet for young individuals who live in one of the most unequal societies in the world regardless of race, gender, skill and previous exposure to basketball, all we require is a can-do attitude. Our greatest strength is our passion for strategically developing programs that cater to our communities needs based on their feedback. We leverage off their strength and give them a voice and a present in our ever growing worldly network.
Vision & Mission
Vision: The vision for AGH is to use a basketball to grow community leaders that change Africa to impact the world.
Mission: Our mission is to use a basketball as a symbol of empowerment for community young and impressionable individuals. We create a platform that up skilling’s our future leaders by countering the stressor of their community all while having fun. In doing this you open their minds to opportunities that positively curves their future world path.
What We Do
We host programmed events that mobilizes young boys and girls allowing them to become the best verse of themselves possible using a basketball as a vehicle of hope. Our goal is to influence every young person we come in contact with that a basketball is a symbol of empowering opportunity. We’ll reach this goal by creating a blueprinted step-by-step curriculum complied from community input for basketball coaches and players that highlight the elements of leadership skills that come from the game thatopen there minds to the possibility of a good life in a bigger, better world. We do this all while having fun in a safe control environment.
1st: Fundraising Clinics and Tournaments
2nd: Partnerships with other Non-profits
3rd: Build Basketball Courts
4th: Program Development Manual
How We Do It
We partner with community basketball enthusiast organizing events that will allow young people to showcase their talents both on and off the court. These events allows for the chance to take young people out of their normal environment providing them the exposure and support needed to ensure that their leadership quality’s can shine. Our events act as a channel for opportunities that we create for coaches and players alike who can thrive in our organised systems and structures that we putin place to develop their basketball knowledge and over all well being.
Meet Our
Board of Advisors
Nelia Harding
Nelia is a registered biokineticist in Cape Town who owns her own practice. She completed a Masters degree in Body Image of teenage adolescents and how it pertains to their physical fitness and body composition. Playing sports has played a significant role in her own growth and development throughout her life: physically, emotionally and mentally. Therefore, she believes that playing sports may be that one piece of the puzzle that causes a ripple effect in peoples lives toward living a purpose driven life and becoming leaders in their community. Nelia is positive that AGH already impact the lives of children in a positive way through basketball. AGH will cause a ripple effect creating leaders and innovative thinkers who are not afraid to solve the problems that South Africa faces.
Lorenzo Davids
Lorenzo Davids is the Chief Executive Officer of the Community Chest South Africa He has been a leading voice Development issues for the last 15 years and has a career in philanthropy spanning some 35 years. For the last 10 years Lorenzo Davids has played a key leadership role across various global platforms as a thought leader on the challenges of Development and its Impact on Communities. Mr Davids is regarded by his peers as a global thought leader in social development who has worked for decades to tackle the root causes of poverty and to improve the lives of the underserved. In 2015 Mr Davids was listed by Prof Jonathan Jansen, rector of Free State University as one of the 15 most influential voices in the Development Discourses in South Africa today. He was also listed in Prof Jansen’s list of 67 South Africans who demonstrate of values of the late President Nelson Mandela. Since 2012, Davids has led Community Chest, a development organization that distributes funding to more than 400 non-profit organizations annually across South Africa. Davids is a founding board member of the homelessness magazine, The Big Issue, in Cape Town, and Christel House South Africa, a school offering world-class education to children from impoverished communities. In 2016 he delivered the keynote address to the Rutgers University Post Graduate Graduation Ceremony in New Jersey USA. He has had his editorials and opinion pieces published by both the Cape Times and Argus Newspapers and he is a frequent commentator on matters of social development.
Dotan Lubezky
Dotan is a director at TLC International, a leading Consumer and Healthcare Company which develops, markets and distributes a wide range of leading products and Brands in Europe, America, India, and Australasia.
He has a B.A in Business Management and Accounting, a Masters degree in Accounting, qualified as a Chartered Accountant having worked at Ernst & Young, with an MBA in Corporate Finance from Tel Aviv University.
Dotan comes from a strong sporting background, and his passion lies in sports and outdoor activities.
He was a professional soccer player playing as a striker for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, and Seven Stars (who later became Ajax Cape Town) in South Africa, playing with likes of Benni McCarthy and coached by Gavin Hunt.
He is also a black belt in mixed martial arts (MMA) and Self Defence, and has served in the IDF (Israeli Defence Force).
He has a strong passion for the community and contributing to the development of youth, and is a co-founding member of A&D Umbutho, an organization which contributes to the development of youth from Langa and other areas in South Africa through various sporting and outdoor activities.
Mlungisi Mazana
Mlungisi is currently a council member of the Northlink College and the chairperson of the human resource committee. He is also an active member of the Partners for possibilities where he journeys with the principal to bring about effective leadership in the school environment.
He is a passionate community developer and a speaker on different platforms. His philosophy is that we truly give when we give of ourselves in a quest to shape the future of our youth in becoming the meaningful and effective citizens of our country. Mlungisi believes that AGH is one of many conduits through which a dream of social cohesion can be realized. Let’s journey together.
Nkululeko Mvulana
After completing his post-graduate in Account Management and Media in 1996, Nkululeko worked for the FCB Group of Advertising Agencies from 1997 to 2000. He joined Vodacom in 2000 as Brand Manager and in 2001 was appointed to Vodacom International’s commercial division which saw him being seconded to the newly established Vodacom Congo as Executive Head of Marketing. On his return from the Congo assignment, Nkululeko was appointed Marketing and Sales Director and sat on the board of Vodacom Lesotho before founding Sandulela Telecom International (Pty) Ltd in 2003. He understands the importance of integration, sport opportunity and infrastructure and his valuable continental experience will enable us to expand the programme throughout the African continent. He also twin boys, who love basketball.