Just A Kid From Africa ENG

The Just A Kid From Africa program is an eco-citizen initiative from the French association Quartier Ouest.

The idea is simple: once again, show our solidarity by collecting unused equipment (sports, educational, and medical) and sending it to certain African countries where our branches are located (Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville, Cameroon, Benin, Senegal, Gabon, Ivory Coast, and Morocco), with the aim of expanding these efforts.

The missions we aim to pursue are outlined according to the following aspirations:

Support for institutions in education, youth development, the environment, and sports.
Assistance and support for national and international sports movements.

OUR OBJECTIVES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Provide assistance to orphanages and foundations that care for children and young single mothers, through financial, material, and medical aid, in addition to socio-educational and psychosocial support to guide them toward autonomy.
Offer our expertise in organizing basketball-related events, whether through youth camps, large-scale tournaments, or training programs for sports professionals (coaches, OTM, volunteers, statisticians, video analysts).

Our slogan: Basketball is just an excuse.

WHO ARE WE?

The Quartier Ouest association, based in Normandy, has over 15 years of experience and is considered a reference in France for organizing basketball-related sports events. Among these events, we organize youth camps, solidarity missions, as well as tournaments, the most famous of which is called Quartier Ouest. This event brings together both professional and amateur players from all over France, Europe, North America, and even Japan. Notably, French international player Nicolas Batum, currently with the L.A. Clippers in the NBA, has participated in the event.

Sapsnshoes is an organization that includes:
– A sports and urban media outlet, sapsnshoes.com.
– The organization of unique events, such as the Frenchies Love L.A trip.
– A brand inspired by the codes of fashion, streetwear, and sports.
– And a total of 10,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram.

Our completed charitable projects

A donation for Haiti, in partnership with the association Accueil et Partage.
Two containers of essential goods were sent to the capital, Port-au-Prince, following the devastating earthquake that struck the island in 2010.

Sending of sports and educational equipment to multiple destinations:

In 2015, to the city of Rabat (Morocco).
In 2016, donations to a church in Alexandria (Egypt), which has been hosting Sudanese refugees for over thirty years.
In 2017, to the city of Abidjan (Ivory Coast).
In 2009, 2019, and since 2021, to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since 2016, annual shipments to Cameroon.
In 2022, to the island of Gorée (Senegal), via the Nio Far association.
In 2022 and 2024, to Cotonou and Porto-Novo in Benin.

In partnership with the Heart of L.A. Foundation, donation of tickets to allow young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods in Los Angeles to attend NBA games and play on the Staples Center court.

In France, through various partnerships, multiple aids for people in need, particularly towards migrants in the Ouistreham area with an order of about one hundred heated blankets.

A small investment for a huge impact!

**Lucas and the young basketball players of Gombe 🇨🇩**

OUR STRENGTHS

Education: Our activities include supporting education and training projects, as well as developing related programs and tools, along with providing guidance and support to organizations for artistic and cultural projects.

Social Action: Sustainable development will be one of our long-term priorities, integrating environmental and societal constraints through awareness-raising actions.

Women’s Sports: The project aims to serve as a stepping stone for African women’s sports, particularly through a variety of competitions fully dedicated to women.
We thus wish to confirm our commitment to the cause of women by mobilizing our energy, capital, skills, and organizational capacities to develop this sports sector in Africa.

Health and Adapted Sports: Among our objectives is the provision of activities that are suitable both mentally and physically, in continuation of the care provided by medical institutions.
In addition to benefiting the body, practicing sports often helps individuals who are recovering, isolated, or have disabilities to regain social connections.

**Francis with the young basketball players of Masina 🇨🇩**

OUR ACTIONS

The goal is to give a second life to your sneakers, books, school textbooks, multimedia equipment, and sports gear in an ecological effort. The beneficiaries will be organizations in Africa, such as sports clubs, schools, libraries, and orphanages.

Lâche-moi les baskets

Lâche-moi les baskets is an eco-citizen initiative aimed at giving your sneakers a second life, as part of an ecological effort.

Do you have a pair of shoes you no longer wear? Then give them a second life, so they can bring joy to another young person on the African continent through the « Lâche-moi les baskets » project.

We accept all styles and sizes of shoes, whether new or used, but basketball-specific shoes will be prioritized for sh…

Book Maker

The Book Maker project aims to create or complete media centers or libraries across the African continent.

We all have books, school textbooks, computers, phones, tablets, or even games that we no longer need, and sometimes they end up in the trash. Let’s give them a second life so they can bring joy to a child or an adult in Africa through the Book Maker project.

We accept all types of books, whether academic, literary, practical, or more…

« Reading is important. If you can read, the whole world opens up to you. » – Barack Obama

Ze Collecte

Ze Collecte aims to clear out your closets of sports equipment.
The beneficiaries will be organizations in Africa, such as sports clubs, schools, or orphanages.

We all have balls, jerseys, shorts, training tops, or backpacks lying around in our closets for years. Let’s give them a second life so they can bring happiness to a child.

We accept all types of clothing, in any size, whether new or used, but basketball gear will be prioritized for shipment.

The Fundraiser

Click here to participate in the online fundraiser.

To support our efforts and help us ship the eagerly awaited materials, you can make a donation through our fundraiser.
As Quartier Ouest is a registered 1901 law association, your donations will be tax-deductible at 66% from your income tax (Coluche Law).

Every euro counts, and every donation is valuable, so don’t hesitate!

OUR PROJECTS

🏀 Playground

The Playground project involves the rehabilitation or construction of basketball courts in Africa, as it is a very young continent that unfortunately lacks sufficient quality, free sports facilities, which poses a challenge for practicing sports in good conditions.

Rehabilitating or building a basketball court not only addresses a local need but also fosters cultural exchange and opens up opportunities for global connections between volunteers from different countries.

Our goal is to ensure the democratization of quality, covered basketball courts. In many African countries, the lack of infrastructure and gymnasiums is a significant challenge, especially since the rainy season lasts for 6 months out of the year in some countries, and the cost of building a gymnasium is exorbitant. With such facilities, young athletes will be able to train under better conditions and be empowered to dream big.

🏀⚽️🏐 Academy

Our goal is to open a sports academy that will include sports and medical facilities, a school, accommodation, and a dining area.

Our priority will always be basketball, and more basketball, but we also aim to expand to other sports later on, such as football, handball, and volleyball.

💿💾📚 La médiathèque

This project involves the creation of media centers, with free access for both young people and adults. A media center is a cultural institution that preserves and makes available to the public a collection of documents in various formats, corresponding to different media, allowing for on-site consultation and borrowing for home use.

What is the difference between a media center and a library? A library offers paper-based documents, meaning all forms of books. A media center, on the other hand, offers books as well as other formats such as DVDs, CDs, tapes, etc.

🛝 Aires de jeux

Install playgrounds (slides, see-saws, and spring riders) in neighborhoods to create a connection between residents and each generation.

🏀🇨🇩 SoliGame

The SoliGame is a basketball match in the form of a charitable gala aimed at raising funds to help the Congolese youth.

Link : www.sapsnshoes.com/soligame

**Jimmy Jay with the children of the Elais Circle 🇨🇩**

Calculate your impact

When someone doesn’t have shoes, it’s not just their feet that suffer.

HEALTH
Without shoes, people are vulnerable to scratches, cuts, bacteria, and parasites that can lead to infections and other serious diseases.

EDUCATION
In most cases, children without shoes cannot attend school, and are therefore deprived of the right to dream and learn.

DIGNITY
Having new shoes gives people the joy and dignity they deserve.

When you donate a pair of sneakers, a book, or some clothing, you’re not just cleaning out your closet—you’re helping the planet and changing someone’s life.

Donation Caen Sud Basket to the AJAKM Academy 🇨🇩

Partnership

We are looking to establish partnerships with municipalities, federations, clubs, schools, foundations, or other organizations interested in creating « JAKFA » operations. We are also open to simple sponsorships from brands and companies.

To organize an event, a fundraising campaign, or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by email. For a quicker response, make sure to include all your contact information, as well as the specific details you are seeking.
And if you simply wish to participate by donating your sneakers, books, clothes, and sports equipment that you no longer use, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email as well.