Founder's Story

Founder's Story - Samuel Kibi
My journey began not in a boardroom or an office, but on the dusty playing fields in my childhood village. There I discovered that sport was much more than a game.
Sport was a source of hope, belonging, discipline, and an opportunity to support others. While growing up, I witnessed many children and young people facing spiritual, emotional and physical poverty. They had limited educational opportunities. Violence and neglect plagued their communities. Many of my peers had incredible talents but lacked the guidance, mentorship, and opportunities to reach their full potential.
Just like many children in my village, I also experienced those challenges that could have easily defined my future. However, sport became a safe space where I learned teamwork, resilience, leadership, respect, and confidence. As I grew older, I realized that the lessons I learned through sport had helped to shape the person I was becoming.
Sport had given me more than just physical strength, it built character, nurtured hope within me, and opened my eyes and heart to see that every young person deserves the same opportunity to dream beyond their circumstances and acheive those dreams. This personal experience ignited a God given passion that has become my life's calling.
I envisioned an organization that would intentionally use sport as a platform to educate, protect, and empower children and young people, especially those living in vulnerable and underserved communities to connect to something bigger then themselves. That vision gave birth to Game Connect Africa (GCA) in 2020 and was founded on the belief that sport is a powerful tool God has blessed us with for personal and corporate development.
GCA is an entry point for changing lives. Every football match, netball game, athletics event, or community tournament creates an opportunity to teach life skills, promote education, protect children, improve health, advocate for gender equality, foster peace, and create pathways to economic empowerment.
From humble beginnings GCA started by organizing community sports activities that brought children together regardless of their backgrounds. As trust grew within communities, so did our impact. We expanded our work to include child protection, education support, leadership development, girls' empowerment, health awareness, livelihood initiatives, peacebuilding, and community engagement, all anchored in the transformative power of sport.
Today, Game Connect Africa works alongside schools, families, local leaders, government institutions, faith-based organizations, development partners, and volunteers to create safer environments where children and young people can thrive. Our programmes are designed not only to nurture athletic talent, but to build confident leaders, responsible citizens, and resilient communities. As the Founder of Game Connect Africa, I see it as much more than an organization but a fulfilment of a lifelong commitment to God’s calling on my life one child, one family, one community at a time.
Every child, young adult, and family we reach reminds me why this journey began. Every smile, every life changed, and every community transformed reinforces my belief that when sport is intentionally used for development, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for creating lasting transformation.