Oghosa Izedonmwen, 13, has organised a community outreach at Agege Stadium in Lagos where he distributed sneakers to children and treated them to a game of basketball.
Oghosa, who is a fan of Team USA and inspired by National Basketball Association (NBA) player LeBron James, said the idea was conceived a few weeks before his thirteenth birthday in August.
“I love basketball. I had played basketball with some boys at the stadium and noticed they had no basketball shoes, so I asked my mom if I could gift them my old shoes. My mom thought it was a great idea and told me to ask my friends and family for their old shoes too so I could share with more people.
“I grab any opportunity to play basketball, and so I told my mom that I didn’t just want to give out the sneakers but also wanted to play with the kids,” he added.
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Although he could not host the kids on his birthday, with the help of his parents Osayi and Taiye, his younger brother, Osaivbie, and his basketball coach Uzor Chukwuebuka it became a reality on Sunday 8 December.
“I designed a flyer and shared it with family and friends, asking them to donate their used sneakers to children who do not have shoes. It took a few months to get a sizeable number of shoes, but I am glad we’re here today,” an elated Oghosa explained.
Oghosa handed out the pairs of shoes with clothes and basketball jerseys.
Reacting to the initiative, his mother said it was an extremely emotional day marked by mixed feelings. “I was both heartbroken to see children without shoes and glad that we could do something about it,” Mrs Izedonmwen said.