An Arizona basketball player is working to give back to the children of South Sudan through a new initiative focused on mentorship and basketball.
Forward Mabil Mawut was born in a refugee camp and spent much of his childhood in nearby Uganda. Now he's started an initiative called, “Children of the Nile.”
The effort aims to empower underprivileged kids in South Sudan through mentorship, basketball camps and community empowerment. Mawut's initiative has started with a drive for basketball shoes.
He told News 4 Tucson hopes kids who get shoes from his initiative have a reaction similar to him after he received his first pair of shoes.
"I was literally looking at those shoes the whole night, just thinking about how I'm going to wear them the next day," Mawut said. "Now that I'm in this position and looking back at how excited I was to have those shoes and be able to go out there and compete because I had a pair of shoes. You know going out to workouts and all of that, that changed a lot for me."
Mawut will be at Saturday's Arizona Football Spring Showcase collecting new and gently used basketball shoes from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Those interested in donating can visit the initiative's website.
