Our Founder's Story

From Kakuma to Arizona a journey that became a mission.

Mabilmawut Kon Mabil's life moves through six chapters. Each one shaped him, and the works of Children of the Nile today.

2005
Chapter 01 · Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya
Born into uncertainty
Mabilmawut was born in Kakuma, one of the world's largest refugee camps to a family displaced by the Second Sudanese Civil War where life was defined by scarcity, but also by community.
2008
Chapter 02 · Uganda
A new beginning
His family resettled in Uganda, where he first picked up a basketball. What started as play became identity, a language he could speak fluently, no matter where he was.
2021-2023
Chapter 03 · NBA Academy Africa, Senegal
Elite training
Selected to the NBA Academy Africa program in Senegal, he trained alongside the continent's top young talent "Khaman Maluach" where both received formal education and coaching, access to world-class facilities, and a pathway he never thought possible.
2023-2025
Chapter 04 · Our Saviour Lutheran School, New York
American high school
He later moved to New York to attend Our Saviour Lutheran School, where he balanced his academic studies while competing in one of the nation’s most competitive programs, Overtime Elite based in Atlanta Georgia.
2025
Chapter 05 · University of Arizona
Division I College Basketball
He later earned a full-ride scholarship to attend the University of Arizona, one of the nation’s top Division I basketball programs transforming what began as an impossible dream in a refugee camp into a daily reality. There, he continues to pursue academic and athletic excellence at the highest collegiate level.
Today
Chapter 06 · South Sudan & Beyond
Giving back
Through Children of the Nile, he is building the pathway he once needed bringing essential resources, mentorship, and opportunity to the next generation of South Sudanese youth.