This story is the second installment of The Hands That Built Us series. We hope to see you on October 8th where we’ll share how these stories come together.

A mentorship ordained from above

Every evening after school, Uche and his friends would go to the basketball court in one of the poorest areas of Lagos, known as Kiri Kiri town. Because they were so young, Uche and his friends were rarely picked to play, often watching from the sidelines while the older youth competed.

A2S Founder Andrew Lovedale, home from school in the UK, was searching for a place to play basketball. The closest court he could find was the court at Kiri Kiri. When he arrived, he had to pick his team and to the surprise of everyone, he picked the younger Uche and his friends. Andrew remembered how he had received a similar lucky chance when he started playing basketball a few years before, and he saw it as an opportunity to encourage Uche and his friends. Andrew loved Uche’s positive attitude and invited him to his uncle’s home the next day. After hearing Uche’s story, Andrew became his mentor, emphasizing the key to his own successes, and teaching him to play basketball. This was prior to Andrew creating A2S, and he likes to say, “Uche was my first success story.”

Uche recognized that he admired Andrew as a role model and began to better himself through their relationship. When chatting about his first encounter with Andrew, he paused and spoke very emotionally, saying, “Without Andrew I would be a young boy with two or three kids today. That is the life most of my childhood friends are living. This is the direction my life was taking me when Andrew invited me into his life. While my friends were engaged in gang violence, drugs, and early fatherhood, Andrew was home and our time together on the court was an outlet where I could learn.”

A2S summer Vision Trips have served as an opportunity for Uche and Andrew to reunite. In the beginning years of A2S, Uche spent time with the A2S team from the US. Uche was excited to spend much of his time serving the mission at A2S but began to face some financial challenges as he looked to further his education.

In 2013, Andrew and his wife, Molly, supported and encouraged Uche to take entry exams into the University of Benin, which he passed with flying colors. Unfortunately, Uche’s dad told him that he could not afford the fees for him to attend university. Uche was once again faced with the reality of his situation. Uche grinned and said, “I thought it was a joke when in 2013 Co-Founder Morgan Clark asked me how I would feel if A2S helped me realize my dream of becoming an engineer. It was surreal to see how A2S was helping me picture a future that I always wanted but one that seemed out of reach.”

Uche was the first A2S scholarship recipient and graduate from the University of Benin with a degree in Chemical Engineering. During his time studying, Uche also volunteered his time at the A2S After School Program, where he assisted our National Director. After he graduated, he continued to pour into our A2S kids through an internship and quickly became a core part of A2S’s programs.

Andrew continued to serve as a mentor to Uche during his pursuit to become an engineer. Despite graduating at the top of his class from the University of Benin, Uche struggled to find a job. Because he was so successful in his internship at A2S, he was offered a position to work as our Office Manager in 2019. This year, he was promoted to Operations Manager. In his new role, he meets with his mentor, Andrew, regularly to go over A2S affairs and develop new processes as a part of the team’s transition to the Youth Center.

Uche has been a part of A2S from the start and is an integral part of our team. His diligent work ethic and excellent competency has driven the development of A2S over the years. Who knew a thoughtful choice Andrew made 20 years ago would have such a huge impact. Uche’s hands helped build us and we look forward to what else God has in store for his life.