Aimee Kyambadde, of Eden Prairie, Minn., met David while on a mission trip in 1999. The couple married in the fall of 2000.

While dating, the couple began working with the street children of Kampala, Uganda. Seeing the need for a stable environment and dependable care, they founded Home Again, an orphanage for street boys. The organization has a strong emphasis on education and is always looking for vocational or college opportunities for the boys.

In the fall of 2005, David Kyambadde organized a trip to Gulu, in spite of the region’s reputation as dangerous. No stranger to war or boxing, David Kyambadde grew up during Uganda’s infamous Idi Amin and Milton Obote days.

“We lived in a war zone much of my childhood and youth,” David said. “War raged but I had someplace to keep mind and body busy to find hope, safety and a place to dream my own dreams.”

That someplace was a boxing gym.

After a few different fact-finding trips through dangerous rebel territory, David Kyambadde decided that the children lacked a safe, fun place to go where they could just be children. He didn’t want to duplicate the feeding, clothing and counseling programs already in place.

When asked why a boxing center, Aimee Kyambadde said, “An influencing factor for him was that he was a national team boxer in Uganda in his high schools days. And he boxed for a gym called the Kampala Boxing Center.”

David Kyambadde has helped train well-known professional and amateur Ugandan fighters. He combined his expertise in boxing with his love for children and researched the possibility of opening a boxing center.

The couple was eventually able to secure a building and convert it into a gym. They are already looking for a larger building to house the organization.

Creative scheduling ensures that each of the children gets time in the gym. If one of the children tries to sneak in for an extra session, the group waiting outside will point and say, “That one was already in there. He can’t be in there.”

The Redeemed Boxing Gym and Recreation Center also provides other community services including: movie nights for families, conflict resolution, minor medical assistance and prayer.

Aimee Kyambadde said sometimes people object to teaching boxing to children in war torn areas because they fear it will promote fighting outside the ring.

“Most fighters that I know are fighters in real life—in the sense of overcoming life obstacles, but not fighters of people,” she said.

Sports like boxing can teach children how to overcome obstacles or an enemy. They promote team mentality, problem-solving skills and how to handle winning or losing. These and other life skills may prevent future rebels from developing. More importantly, it may be a way out of poverty and to help stabilize the region.


ACTION POINT:
To read more about The Redeemed Boxing Gym and Recreation Center, visit www.redeemedafrica.com. To contact the organization, call (952) 836-4913 or e-mail redeemedafrica@gmail.com.