THE SOUZA TENNIS ACADEMY
In 2012, a single donation was made to purchase a sixteen acre plot of land about 25 miles outside the capital of Douala, Cameroon. It was acquired with the purpose of creating an oasis for the children of OTA, a place where they could live, study and train… a place where they could feel safe and call their own. In the past few years we have built a facility that currently houses 24 of OTA’s most deserving kids. They are housed, fed and receive tennis training on campus and are bussed daily to local schools to continue their formal education.
The vision for the future is that more than 250 children can live, train and be educated on site at the Souza Academy, giving them incredible access to opportunities previously beyond their reach. To realize this vision we will be working hard to raise the funds needed to continue construction and keep moving plans forward. The facility currently includes four clay courts and two completed hard courts, with an additional two hard courts slated to be completed this year. There is a dormitory capable of housing sixteen boys and sixteen girls, complete with separate bathrooms and showers! There are two buildings to house the staff, three small study pavilions, a water tower, pineapple fields, a very primitive kitchen and as of January 2019, there is electricity in the middle of the jungle!
Our goal over ten years starting in 2012 was to raise $1,500,000.00 USD to make this vision a reality. We have raised about half this amount through 2018 and are hoping to be able to complete the Souza Academy by the end of 2022.