In September of 2024 I had the opportunity to continue work on my photography project about the “grassroots” basketball scene in different countries and cultures around the world. I was originally inspired to begin this project in the basketball-crazed country of the Philippines, where hoops is king. Looking to expand, I decided to venture to the country of Rwanda, a small republic located in East Africa. Rwanda had been on my radar as a basketball hotbed since my first visit as a tourist a couple years prior. The mix of beautiful scenery (commonly referred to as “the land of a thousand hills”), friendly and welcoming people, and a safe and strong infrastructure made Rwanda an easy choice for this project.

Unlike my trips to the Philippines, this time I would not be working solo. I partnered with a non-profit called Shooting Touch, a phenomenal international sport-for-development organization that uses hoops as a tool for health and social change in rural communities in Rwanda (and in Boston). 

I am excited to be sharing a series of images and stories I gathered at the Shooting Touch courts in Eastern Rwanda, where basketball is much more than a game - it is a lifestyle, a place of physical and emotional freedom and expression, a connection to important health services and education, and a community builder.