“If Shooting Touch wasn’t around, my life would be a mess. It’s not possible for my family to pay for my schooling. If I can’t go to school, I come to the court so I can learn something from around the world. I don’t know what I would do if that was taken away from me. I can’t lie, before Shooting Touch, I wasn’t disciplined. I used to steal anything. There’s no one in my family who can take care of me, so I used to try to steal things so I could sell them for shoes and clothing. I could never steal from my friends. If I ever took something and found out it belonged to someone close to me, I wouldn’t have it in me to confess I stole it, but I would return it without them knowing it was gone. For the past fellows and coaches, I’ve always tried so hard to be the first to tell them my name and be their friend so I could trick myself into not stealing from them. A person seeing me for the first time on the court would be surprised to see me in my village. The reason I used to come here was to be busy, so I wouldn’t think about my life and theft back at home. Now, I come here because it’s the only place that makes me happy.”

Chance, 17 years old, Rwinkwavu