In the spring of 2002, Paul Kizito watched a video of children who had lost their parents to AIDS.  Moved to do something to help these kids, Paul decided to shoot basketball free throws as a way to raise money on World AIDS Day. He shot 1057 free throws to represent the 1057 kids who would be orphaned that day.

Through sponsorships he was able to raise almost $3,000. From that year forward, Paul organized a shoot-a-thon called Hoops of Hope, that thousands participate in. Hoops of Hope participants have raised over 2.5 million shillings to provide orphans of AIDS access to food, clothing, shelter, a new school, dormitories, a computer lab, two medical centers and more. 

In August 2012, the Organization was officially registered as a Non Governmental Organization   by the Ministry of Internal Affairs under charity No 9343.

"My love for kids And stories about other kids what they go through has made me Even better to my family and the organization" So when it comes to teaching my two daughters about generosity, what could be better than to tell them stories of kids who happened upon a need in society and set out to fix it?

My hope is that at the very least when my girls hear these stories they will better understand why it’s important to support and donate to charitable organizations. Even better would be for these stories to inspire ideas about how my daughters could themselves begin non-profit organizations. 

Because when kids hear stories of other kids making a difference, it can be empowering. It breaks through mental barriers that say kids are too young to create change, kids don’t have enough experience, enough expertise.

So share these stories with your own kids – watch them be wowed by what other kids have achieved and let that be inspiration for how they and your family can help in your own communities and the world.