Gulu Boxing Club empowers 250 former street children

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Every evening, the rhythmic thud of gloved fists against punching bags echoes from a modest and spacious boxing ring in Layibi Centre in Gulu City.

But this is not just a regular sports club, but a lifeline for dozens of street-connected youths, many of whom once lived on the city’s fringes, begging, scavenging, or falling prey to crime and substance abuse.

Founded in 2012, Gulu Boxing Club (GBC) has quickly grown into a powerful platform for empowerment, discipline, and hope. The initiative, which relies on funding and support from the community, aims to transform the lives of vulnerable youth through sport, mentorship, and life skills training.

Denis Abitek, the General Secretary of the club, told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that since the beginning of 2022, the club has pulled more than 250 out of the streets back home.

Abitek explained that the club has helped several former street-connected children craft a career path, as the club conducts talking sessions with them before or after their training. The talking sessions, similar to career development, help the club leaders identify the unique challenges and skills of each of the children and respond to them accordingly.

Although the boxing club didn’t start with an agenda of saving the street-connected children, Abitek explained that because the were many street children at the time, the community perceived that everyone who trained at the club went to build muscles to assault and rob people at night.

Kizito Khemis Ojok, a 17-year-old who joined the club in 2022, dreams of becoming a middleweight boxing champion.

Ojok, who dropped out of school in Kampala and came to Gulu to earn a living, said he started working as a security guard when he just came to Gulu in 2022.

“My employer also loves boxing. He always tells me to let him know when we have an in-club competition and he comes to support me morally,” he said.

In 2024, Ojok competed among the novices and was outcompeted in the quarterfinals.

“That competition gave me the inspiration to work harder, and I know with time, hard work, and determination, I will do better,” Ojok said.

Ojok appreciates the talking sessions that the club conducts, saying it has helped him see the value of discipline.

“In any game, if you don’t have discipline, your efforts will be in vain. At GBC, we were told not to build our muscles to waylay people, but to punch challenges and lift opportunities with both hands,” Ojok said.

Ojok dreams of training until he can compete with professional boxers outside the country, just like Ronald Okello, who trained at Gulu Boxing Club.

Immaculate Agenorwot, 18 years old, started going to the club in 2024, just to feel the atmosphere and get tips on the game.

In February 2025, Agenorwrot, who is studying at Gospel Outburn Tailoring School, started exercising and doing aerobics at the boxing club.

She plans to ensure that she is physically fit enough to start training to become a professional boxer.

Agenorwot is inspired by female boxers whose lives have changed for the better because of the sport.

For now, she testifies that by just watching people practice, and listening to the coaches, she has learned the importance of self-control and discipline.

Most of the youths who join GBC are referred by friends, and several others walk there on their own after hearing about the club on local radio stations in Gulu City. But those who stay close to its location walk into the club on their own, drawn by the sound of sparring gloves.

One of the street-connected persons, who got counselling from the club, is 23-year-old Kenneth Opiro, who spent three years living on the streets after escaping an abusive home.

Opiro said he didn’t join the boxing club for the love of the sport, but to get a sense of belonging and direction, which is why he left the club after a year. Today, he is a mobile fruit vendor.

“I used to steal utensils left outside people’s compounds and sell them to scrap dealers. After being at the boxing club for a year, I learned the value of decency. Now I legally make my money. I don’t have to watch over my shoulders,” Opiro said.

Despite its impact, GBC faces significant challenges, such as limited funding, because it relies on support from the community.

Monica Lanyero, who joined the club in 2015 and is a treasurer at the club, said the major challenge facing the boxing club is the limited inflow of funds to run all programs at the club.

Currently, the club is appealing to community members to contribute money to support them in hosting the Kayole Royal Boxing Team in Kenya, which will be in Gulu City to compete with GBC on July 19th, 2025.

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