After many months of planning, outreach and collection, Appalachian State University men's basketball junior Michael Obacha returned to his home country of Nigeria to supply impoverished children with shoes and basketball supplies.
This is the story of a young man's journey home and the lasting impact that it had on people from both sides of the globe.
I'm Coming Home…
While the “homecoming” of NBA superstar Lebron James dominated the headlines this summer, a different homecoming took place half a world away without the lights, cameras or media frenzy.
For 700 children in Nigeria, the homecoming of Appalachian State basketball standout Michael Obacha was beyond newsworthy; it was life-changing.
A native of the West African nation, Obacha spent the better part of the last year collecting shoes and other basketball supplies to give to children in his home country, most of whom have played the game without shoes for most of their lives.
"I have always wanted to give back to the community where I am from,” said Obacha. “Through personal experience, I know what it is like to not have shoes to wear around or to play basketball in.”
Obacha's journey was actually two years in the making – he hadn't been home since the summer of 2012 – and included nearly two full days of travel before arriving at his final destination.
It also included a whirlwind five months leading up to the trip home. Not only did he have class, practice and game commitments to fulfill, he also collected 700 pairs of shoes and raised $4,300 to send the shoes across the Atlantic Ocean.
A Helping Hand…
A huge reason for the success of The Michael Obacha Shoe Drive came thanks to another Nigerian native, former Davidson basketball star Andrew Lovedale.
Like Obacha, Lovedale had also grown up in Edo State, Nigeria, where he also found peace on the basketball courts. As a child, Lovedale often trekked long distances just for water, was forced to burn candles for light at night and often went hungry as his mother struggled to provide following his father's death.
In similar fashion, Obacha also used basketball as a way of escape in a nation where violence and uncertainty is a part of everyday life. Neither could have imagined that their similar backgrounds, love for their country and passion for basketball would lead them to each other.
“Anytime a youth is able to look beyond themselves, my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude,” said Lovedale. “Michael is an excellent individual whose heart is broken by the same things that break God's heart, and you can see that in the way that he interacts with others.”
In January, Lovedale learned via Twitter about Obacha's efforts to collect shoes and immediately contacted Ryan Bower, Appalachian's Associate Sports Information Director, who put Obacha and Lovedale in touch.
A partnership formed from there as Access to Success, a charitable organization founded by Lovedale, helped to provide the logistical backing for the shoe drive. Collecting shoes and money for shipping was one thing, but getting the supplies to Nigeria was a huge undertaking that neither Bower, who helped promote the shoe drive, or Obacha was ready to handle by themselves. That's where Lovedale and Access to Success stepped in, including the shoes in a shipment of supplies for their annual summer camps in Nigeria.
“I originally intended to hand out shoes to children in Kaduna State only,” said Obacha. “But Andrew helped me so much, and we had so many shoes, that I decided to take half of the shipment to the Access to Success camps in the southern part of the country and give them to children there.”
In addition to giving shoes to children at the Access to Success camps, Obacha also served as a guest instructor, helping children develop their basketball skills while also talking to them about the importance of education.
Shoes and Smiles…
While the trip to Southern Nigeria and the Access to Success camps were a huge highlight of Obacha's journey home, his impact made in Kaduna State was the culmination of his efforts. For several years, his goal was to bring smiles to the faces of children in his country.
Not only did Obacha realize the need for shoes in his community, he also saw that the youth there were in desperate need of basketball supplies. At the courts he grew up playing on, nets were often in disarray or non-existent, quality basketballs were a luxury and basketball pumps were hard to come by.
Prior to his trip home, Obacha was able to gather three basketball pumps and five nets to distribute to those most in need. He also got a huge boost when his high school coach, High Point Christian Academy's Brandon Clifford, gave him 12 basketballs to take to Nigeria.
While Obacha was excited to deliver the items along with the shoes, he realized that he would have to figure out who needed the supplies the most as he had a limited supply. By observing games at various local basketball courts and asking people in the community, Obacha was able to find out who needed supplies the most.
“I did not want to discriminate,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that all children received shoes, boys and girls. I had the opportunity to talk with people about who needed supplies the most and I was directed to an all-girls school nearby.”
During his time at the school, Obacha noticed that nearly half of the girls were practicing without shoes, and those who did have shoes were in need of new ones.
“The shoes they had were in really bad condition,” he recalls. “I showed up on a Sunday to hand out shoes and a basketball, and the timing was perfect. Two days before I got there, several children were sent home because they could not practice without shoes, so I was able to give them the supplies they needed when they needed it most.”
Obacha found his heart overwhelmed at how excited the children were to get their shoes, but he didn't stop there. During his time home, Obacha also handed out supplies at the Adonai Orphanage and Widows Centre, which houses nearly 60 children. He also visited several local basketball clubs and distributed shoes to the homeless on the street.
"It was a great experience seeing people so happy,” said Obacha. “I received many messages on Facebook from people telling me 'Thank You'. I spoke to my parents last weekand they said random people just stop along the way to say thank you to them. I am just so thankful for the help and support I received from Andrew, the Appalachian State family and the Boone community.”
The Future of Nigeria…
While the distribution of shoes and other basketball supplies was the primary focus of Obacha's trip home this summer, both he and Lovedale have stressed that their efforts aren't just about shoes, but about shaping lives.
Through the A2S Summer Bible Camp, Basketball Camp and After School Academy, children are participating in sports, music labs, computer classes, art lessons and tutoring sessions while also learning lessons in tolerance, leadership and how to become good citizens.
“While there is a Bible camp, which makes the efforts revolve around religion somewhat, I made sure that I handed out shoes and other supplies to everyone, regardless of their beliefs,” said Obacha. “Nigeria is basically split as a half-Christian, half-Muslim nation and we have had a lot of violence – but my hope is that the shoe distribution will help to unite my country.”
Lovedale believes that by bringing in student-athletes who are natives of Nigeria, like Obacha, the youth in the A2S programs are able to relate much better with their program leaders. It also helps that the program leaders possess an intense passion for what they do.
“Let what the Lord has laid in your heart drive you,” said Lovedale. “You can have all the tools, but if you don't have the passion for the service then it's going to be tough.”
While classes and basketball practice are just around the corner, Obacha is already laying out plans to expand his efforts this coming year.
“We want to get the word out earlier this year and get others involved,” he said. “This is something I want to do every year and eventually I want to start my own charitable organization. The next time I go, I don't just want to give away shoes, I want to talk to these children about how important it is to participate in sports, get a good education and be responsible in life.”
“I want them to know that they can do anything they want and should never feel like they are not good enough. Social status doesn't matter – someday basketball will end for them and they'll need to rely on their education. No one can take away your education – it's one thing that stays with you for your entire life.”
While a pair of old shoes might seem like nothing to most of us, Obacha and Lovedale have seen firsthand the difference it can make in a child's life. Through their efforts, the future of Nigeria is brighter than before as they help to develop the country's next generation of leaders through character development, education and hope.
“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
- Robert F. Kennedy
Over the past eight months, appstatesports.com and the Appalachian State Sports Information office has had the privilege of keeping people updated on the progress of one of the biggest charity efforts undertaken by any individual student-athlete at Appalachian State University.
In that time, support poured in from not only the University and Boone communities, but from around the nation and the world. We owe a great many thanks to those who donated shoes and funds for shipping, as well as those who worked behind the scenes to make the effort a success.
A special thanks goes out to the Athletic Ticket Office for its work in providing tickets to games for all those who donated shoes as well as the Athletic Marketing Office for its help with in-game shoe collection and promotion. Also, thank you to all Athletic Deparment staff who donated their time and efforts in helping children halfway around the world.
On behalf of Michael Obacha - THANK YOU!!
