Busoga Sports and Skills Development Academy empowers young people in Busoga sub-region in Uganda through sports development, life skills, technical training, employability support, and community engagement.
In 2018, BSSDA's Director, Ms Jacqueline Namyalo, visited a community near Namboole and encountered a difficult reality: young boys were spending their days at a waste-dumping site, collecting plastic bottles to sell so they could survive. It was hazardous work, and it revealed how many children and young people were being pushed away from school, safety, and the chance to dream.
The first idea was to work with the boys to turn waste into useful products, creating a safer way for them to earn. At the same time, recognizing their age, energy, and potential, evening football sessions began as a simple safe space where they could play, discover talent, build discipline, and experience belonging.
Before the waste project could fully begin, the local council closed the dumping site because of its location near the road and renovation plans around Namboole Stadium. The closure disrupted the boys' daily income, but something powerful had already begun: the football sessions continued.
What started as casual evening training quickly grew into organized matches, teams, and the discovery of remarkable talent. Zion Football Club was eventually registered in the fifth division and began competing. Alongside football, efforts were made to support some of the boys to return to school, although limited resources meant not everyone could be reached.
The challenges were significant. With the dumping site closed, many boys lost their source of income. Some took on odd jobs and could no longer attend training. Others were drawn into negative influences, conflict with the law, or disappeared from the program altogether.
Even those supported to return to school faced serious barriers, including hunger, lack of stable shelter, and inconsistent attendance. Without these basic needs met, academic success became extremely difficult. A few completed school, but without financial support, they could not continue to college.
This experience revealed a deeper truth: the biggest challenge facing many young people is not only access to education, but the lack of consistent support systems. Many start school but drop out without skills, leaving them unemployable. Others survive on temporary, unstable work with no clear future.
It is from this reality that Busoga Sports and Skills Development Academy was born. BSSDA exists to create a space where young people are supported holistically, using sports to bring them together while equipping them with practical, hands-on technical and life skills. The goal is not only to nurture talent, but to empower young people to build sustainable livelihoods and transform their futures.
To use sports, hands-on skilling, mentorship, and community engagement to empower young people with the tools, opportunities, and confidence for sustainable livelihoods and positive social change.
Empowered, skilled, disciplined youths equipped to positively transform their lives and communities.
The academy is shaped by the values that young people need to thrive in life, work, sport, and community.