“I like to joke. I don’t care what age you are, I still want to make you laugh. At home, at school, on the court, I just like to see people happy. When I started coming to Shooting Touch, (the coaches) were very energetic. They thanked me and gave me shoes on the first day because of my happiness in practice. That encouraged me to keep bringing (my energy). When I was in primary school with my friend Thierry, his father came to the school and beat us. He said, ‘Why are you playing basketball when you have national exams soon?’ After that, I went home and talked to my parents about it. They said, ‘Maybe Thierry’s father was right, but don’t take it 100%. You can do both.’ I went to Thierry’s home and told his mother that Thierry would not be on the Shooting Touch list. I convinced her to let Thierry come back. Me and Thierry, our friendship, is very good now. We go to school together, we go to church together and we go to practice together. The Shooting Touch health lessons have opened my mind. From how I’m learning and studying, I can see the results. I put the word “Jordan” on my arm in marker, because that’s the first name of an NBA player I knew. It comes off. Sometimes when I feel I need my favorite player, I write it back on — maybe once in a week. It’s not always easy to make someone laugh. You need to pay attention and see people’s mood. When you laugh by yourself, that’s nothing. When you make other people laugh, they will see different things from you. They will like you.”

Nizeyimana Jean Batista “Wifi” — 12 years old