The fight to give children and young people in Tanzania a vibrant future full of hope has begun, with the recent launch of the Gloves of Hope Project to build the first boxing gym and community centre on Ukerewe Island on Lake Victoria.
Zion Johnson, a British champion boxer, coach and community leader based in Milton Keynes, has teamed up with Jenny Walker, who has been involved in setting up and running charity projects in Tanzania for the past 32 years. They will be working with Alex Magaga, an English Teacher at Jenny’s first project, Hope School, and the founder of the Lake Victoria Children (LVC) charity at Hope School and on Ukerewe Island, to develop the project.
Zion, who is a former Vice-Chair of Loughborough Boxing, and who is leading the launch of the Gloves of Hope Project, said: “I fell in love with boxing not because I liked hitting things but because of the self-respect and self-belief it taught me. Boxing has always been a battle against yourself rather than any opponent: each time I walked into the gym, when I wanted to stay home; each punch I threw, when I wanted to stop; each time I got up, when I got knocked down.
“Boxing, and the drive mentality that you develop and foster within every training session, down to each individual movement and strategy, taught me that I could control my own destiny and that I can create my own path in life. I want to share this hope with those who need it most, where opportunities may be limited but potential is limitless.”
Zion’s journey began in Milton Keynes, with boxing guiding his path into Loughborough University where he trained alongside some of the biggest names in British boxing, including Anthony Joshua and Frazer Clarke, and where, under the guidance of Olympic-level coaches like Brian Hinkley, he became a BUCS National Champion.
Jenny Walker has worked since the Nineties with hundreds of orphaned, abandoned or at-risk young people in Shinyanga at Hope School and on Ukerewe Island.
She said: “When I began working in Tanzania, I was genuinely just trying to do what little I could to help. Over the years this grew in many ways; the scale of the projects; the levels of funding and the connection that I and my family have to this area of the world. Small direct charitable work often has that immediate impact on those you are trying to support but also on your own understanding, growth, networks and friendships.
“I am thrilled to have played my small part in connecting Alex and Zion and from personal experience on the island, witnessing the need, and the opportunity, I am sure this project will bring vital hope to many.”
Together, the trio are building something lasting: a boxing gym, youth programme and community centre that will give local children and young people a safe space to grow, develop confidence, and see a future for themselves.
Crucially, the gym will be designed to be self-sustainable. Local young people will be trained as coaches, learning not only the technical skills of boxing but also leadership, safeguarding and mentoring. These skills will allow them to build careers, earn an income, and reinvest their knowledge back into their community.
Alex Magaga said: “Working as a teacher at Hope School that Jenny was supporting helped me reconnect with part of myself that I almost no longer recognised with passing of time. Growing up orphan myself, I could very well relate to the Hope School orphans and vulnerable children I was teaching and this would shape my new-found calling to work to support the most vulnerable in my community.
“The boxing gym project will transform disadvantaged children and youths stuck in their homes or on the streets by providing them with a safe space to grow in confidence, self-esteem, health, integration and develop their boxing.”
Every contribution to the Gloves of Hope Project, no matter how small, will help make the dream a reality, turning hope into something tangible for the children who need it most.
To learn more and support the project, visit the fundraising page: 100% of all donations will go directly towards the Gloves of Hope Project.
Find out more on the Justgiving website for Gloves of Hope Project.
