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Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Gulu Boxing Club (GBC) has received a donation of training equipment worth 15 million Shillings, boosting local efforts to revitalise sports in the city and support youth development.
Among the items donated were: hand wraps, bandages, headgears, boxing gloves, training gloves, and groin guards.
The donation was made possible through the efforts of missionaries Mainse David Reynold and his wife, Kathy Mainse, in partnership with international supporters.
The sports equipment, including a standard boxing ring, gloves, and other gear, was transported from America to Gulu, thanks to the generous contributions of Christino and Carmen, supporters from the United States with a deep passion for boxing.
Mainse David Reynold, a Canadian-American missionary and co-founder of World Embrace, who has been living in Gulu for over 10 years, revealed that Christino, a seasoned boxing coach formerly based near New York City, donated a substantial portion of his gym equipment after relocating to Texas.
Reynold and his wife moved to Uganda after years of short-term visits during the insurgency period, believing it was their calling to contribute to the city’s post-conflict rebuilding.
“We didn’t come with a plan to build Uganda’s largest recreational park, but through conversations with community leaders, we saw the need for a safe, family-friendly space for youth. And now we’re doing that, step by step, by God’s grace,” Reynold said.
World Embrace is currently overseeing the development of Gulu Community Park, a free, public recreational facility that will include a fitness and combat sports training centre.
This facility will host boxing, taekwondo, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and more. Reynold emphasised that it will not be a boxing club itself but a training facility open to all local clubs to help prepare athletes for higher-level competition.
Gulu City Sports Officer Robert Okot commended Reynold and Kathy for their continued contributions to the city’s sports development, including their key role in the renovation of Pece Stadium for the FEASSA Games.
Okot recalled that Reynold was among the first to donate significantly, shillings 45 million toward the stadium’s renovation, sparking a wave of local support.
“That alone ignited everybody. When someone from America is willing to contribute to restoring our Acholi monument, it’s a challenge to us all. Soon, others joined in, both in donations and practical work,” Okot recalled.
Okot also advocated for allocating space in the Kaunda Grounds, a historical site with abandoned structures, to the Gulu Boxing Club.
He noted that these buildings, initially built by NGOs during the war for night commuters, could be repurposed into training and storage facilities for the club.
Okot further highlighted the broader benefits of sports, particularly boxing, in promoting physical and mental health, reducing the risks of non-communicable diseases, and keeping the youth meaningfully engaged.
“We eat food every day, but if we don’t use that energy, it stores as fat, narrowing blood vessels and reducing oxygen flow to the brain,” Okot explained. “Regular exercise, like boxing, prevents this and promotes good health.”
Founded in 2012, Gulu Boxing Club (GBC) has quickly grown into a powerful platform for empowerment, discipline, and hope, with about 96 trainees who flock to the club in shifts to exercise.
Denis Mulindra, the head coach of the boxing club, commended the donors for the support, describing the donations as standard.
In the spirit of sharing, Gulu Boxing Club shared some of the donated items with two other smaller clubs: Lacor Paradise Boxing Club and Kor Gaa Layibi Boxing Club.
Denis Komakech, the coach of Lacor Paradise Boxing Club, which has 28 members, said the donation was timely because they never had any of those gears.
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