Mongu, Zambia

Mongu, Zambia, is a small town in the heart of Africa. While there are no skateboard shops within an eight-hour drive, the town does have a skate park built in 2021: The Lukaba Hande Skate Park. With hundreds of kids visiting the park, there is a huge need for skateboarding equipment.

Thanks to a $1,500 grant from JSAW, Christian Skaters Zambia and WeSkate Mongu were able to provide new skateboards for all the kids and carry out essential park maintenance. This small grant has made a big impact—not only on skateboarding—but on transforming riders’ lives.

So far, the project has reached 200 riders with the gospel, with 20 choosing to accept Jesus as their Savior. Beyond this, six riders have become actively engaged in discipleship, growing in their faith and learning to share it with others. While the project is still ongoing, these early results demonstrate the powerful ways God is moving through skateboarding in Zambia.

Recently, three of the riders became full-time volunteers at the skate park, helping run coaching classes, care for the park, and share the gospel with new riders. Johnny Kalenga, the leader of this ministry in Zambia, was recently named National Olympic Skateboarding Coach for Zambia. Seeing these riders step into leadership and actively serve others is a remarkable reminder of how investing in discipleship creates a multiplying effect.

One of the greatest successes of this project has been bringing people together. Skaters from different backgrounds are finding community, mentorship, and a safe space to grow—both spiritually and personally. The ministry in Zambia continues to ride forward with faith, skateboarding, and spreading the good news—one rider at a time.

If you would like to support more grants like this to action sports ministries around the world, please make a donation here: JSAW.org/worldwide