small beginnings … Large impact.
Our chess ministry started in Uganda in 2003 with one board, one coach, and a few children in Kampala’s Katwe slum.
It has expanded to all of our ministry fields, with hundreds of children involved in programs every week, holiday tournaments and players winning at the national level.
The SOM Chess Academy continues to reach out further into Uganda’s poor slum and rural areas from its location in Katwe.
Children gravitate to the competition and the battle for survival. It’s like their life. It quickly becomes an amazing platform to teach life principles and nurture character. Connection with kids “on the board” leads to long-term mentoring and discipleship opportunities “off the board.”
One of those first children to come from Katwe is Phiona. Her story has been documented in a book and a Disney movie, both of which are accurate portrayals of the transformational nature of our chess ministry.
