Today we’d like to introduce you to Enock Godi.
A once homeless Enock Godi rose from the hustle and vulnerability of a young boy in the Capital City of Ghana, Accra to becoming the founding President of a not for profit Tennis Foundation that is using tennis as a tool to empower young people in his home country.
From the age of 11, Enock found hope and solace in hitting tennis balls and later became a ball boy as a means to make ends meet and to survive the hustle that has made other young boys victims of all kinds of social vices. He was always found on the tennis court practicing and dreaming of a future in tennis.
Enock Godi, the founder and President of the Hope Tennis Foundation is a product of ITF training center in South Africa, where he received a scholarship to the Mount San Jacinto College in California. He was part of the winning team in the Southern California Championship in the United States of America.
Enock played for the Golden Racquet of Ghana in the Davis Cup in Tunisia in 2012. After featuring for the National team he went into professional tennis coaching plus skill development aimed at discovering rising future stars and introducing the game of tennis to virgin areas in Ghana in an attempt to give back to the game in ways that eluded him when he was young at the game. He is currently a PTR Performance Professional and a certified USPTR 10U, 11 – 17 Professional at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, USA. He led a team of local ITF level 1 and 2 Coaches in the high-performance tennis clinic in Ghana from September 5th to 8th, 2018.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all for Enock, growing up as a kid who needed to do different economic activities to survive and the desire to stay on track in terms of ambitions has always been a constant battle physically, mentally and spiritually.
He has to sleep at a gas station with other kids, sell mineral water and assorted drinks at the Accra Sports Stadiums on match days, serve as ball boy for the 37 Army officers mess tennis court and other tennis courts, clean peoples homes and do all kinds of labor-intensive jobs in order to survive and to have a decent life.
There were times when he was brutally abused, insulted and embarrassed and also taken advantage of because of his vulnerable situation.
Please tell us about Hope Performance Tennis – what should we know?
Hope Performance Tennis is a 501 (c) 3 foundation that is focused on using tennis as a tool to empower young people for a better future. At Hope, we introduce and organize high-performance tennis clinics for kids, organize and promote club tournament of children and distribute tennis items such as rackets, tennis balls, tennis shoes and clothes to children who have little or no chance of getting these expensive items for the development of their tennis ambitions.
I am proud of the fact that through Hope Performance Tennis, we provide young people with the Hope that a bright future is possible and not beyond reach.
At HOPE, we are determined to eliminate the barriers that impede the ability of the young people to reach his or her greatest potential, it is a passion I have always hard as a young person even whilst going through trying moments.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I wish to use this opportunity to thank the Management and members of Atlanta Athletic Club for providing me an amazing space to deepen my roots as a career tennis coach and for also supporting the foundation with donations and technical know how.
Thanks also go to the former Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ghana Hon Joe Agri, former Captain of the Black Stars of Ghana Stephen Appiah. Mr. Isaac Abe Duah, President of the Ghana Tennis Federation, the leadership and members of 37 Army Officers tennis Club, Coach Noah Bagerbasseh, Coach Henry Quansah,
Coach Richard Ayi Dartey, Coach Joseph Doe Adjani, Coach Yahaya MacCauley, Elizabeth Adde. Uncle Ebo Cole and Philip Jadu Mensah for providing the spark of my tennis life.
I am equally indebted to the management team of the foundation ably led by the dynamic Cedric Dzelu and supported by Giovanni Adinyira, Jacob Lomotey, and Rubben Curlywood. These are the wheels that run the HOPE initiatives.
Contact Info:
- Address: Hope Performance Tennis
Loc; 1044 Annazanes Ct Alpharetta, GA 3004 - Website: https://www.hopeperformancetennis.org/
- Phone: +16786025373
- Email: hpt.accra@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hpt.accra/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopeperformancetennis/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HopePerformance
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXOW1P8Er4B64mo_xAoWgrA?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Amoakoh Gabreil
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