Robert KibayaROBERT KIBAYA – Founder & Country Director

It is to belittle Robert than to say that he is a determined, hard working, compassionated, and instructed individual. Robert strives to empower rural communities throughout Africa, works towards a sustainable economy, and wishes prosperity and equal justice for all. To attain these goals, Robert holds a degree in Biological Sciences; has received formal education in Conflict Analysis, Negotiation and Conflict Management; acts as Executive Director and Founder of Kikandwa Rural Communities Development Organization; acts as the African Regional Representative of World Campus International Inc.; is a 2008 Justice Makers Fellow of International Bridges to Justice Inc.; acts as a Project Director of Rural Communities Criminal Justice Awareness Project; attended a variety of regional and international conferences; and is one of the founding directors of ABaCoDe. Robert’s outstanding qualities and extreme devotion to others make him a role model for others striving for the betterment of the world. Contact him at robert.kibaya@abacode.org.

Nicolas MichaudNICOLAS MICHAUD – Founder & Country Director

Born and raised in St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Canada, Nicolas, basketball player for over 15 years and coach for 3, has long cherished the dream of transmitting his passion to others. Through ABaCoDe, Les Petits-Dragons, and other community involvement, Nicolas has been realizing his dream since 2007.   Well respected and well connected in a variety of networks due to his contagious personality and his down-to-earth nature, Nicolas has received the support from family, friends, and acquaintances in order to promote and attain better social welfare.  He is currently completing a bachelor in Athletic Therapy and a minor in Business at Concordia University whilst living in Montréal, Canada. Contact him at nicolas.michaud@abacode.org.

Marie-Eve LemieuxMARIE-EVE LEMIEUX – Founder & Country Director

Born and raised in Varennes, Canada, Marie-Eve’s passion for Basketball has been burning for the last 14 years, during which she played in addition to coaching for 7 years. Marie-Eve allowed her passion to help those around her to define her life. She completed a bachelor in International Relations and Law and a Masters in Business Administration, specialized in International Development. In 2010, Marie-Eve went to work for Child’s Right International in Accra, Ghana, Africa. She used her spare time to start a weekend basketball league and started looking for the suitable partner to aid her in developing the league. ABaCoDe came to her attention and turn out to be the hoped partner. Acting as Country Director for ABaCoDe in Ghana, Marie-Eve puts it perfectly: “ABaCoDe is exhausting, but playing basketball with kids from morning to evening under the African sun is a great source of energy, joy, and happiness. Seeing ever more kids with the desire to join the team and learn the game; seeing them grow and surpass themselves; I can say every day is simply amazing.” She can be reached at marieeve.lemieux@abacode.org.

Simon GillespieSIMON GILLESPIE – Founder

Immersed in the Basketball world at age 5, Simon has been passionate by the sport and the community revolving around it ever since. In addition to his 18 years as a player and 5 year as a referee, Simon has coached in various basketball camps in Canada and the United States. His interest aren’t limited to the sport; Simon’s curiosity for the world drove him to explore North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle-East. To quench his curiosity and to better understand the different political and environmental issues affecting our time, Simon decided to pursue a triple minor program in History, Political Science and Geography at the Université de Montréal. Contact him at simon.gillespie@abacode.org.

 

Lawrence MutyabaLAWRENCE MUTYABA – Project Coordinator

[Will be added shortly]

 

 

 

 

Mohammed KhaledMOHAMMED KHALED – Project Coordinator

Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, Mohammed is a great listener who thrives by hearing other’s experiences. Believer that all is possible if the mind and body are align and set towards a goal, Mohammed launched a barbering salon through sheer will and hard work, which he operates along with family and loved ones. Mohammed played for his high school team for two years and coached for one year. After completing senior high school in 2008, he played for a local team and aimed to use his skills to travel abroad, plan which unfortunately fell through.  His passion for the game was unchanged amidst his deception; Mohammed chose to channel it towards a different goal, the betterment of his country through the development of the younger generation. It is with this goal at heart that he and Marie-Eve got together and now contribute to their fellows. Acting as Project Coordinator for ABaCoDe, Mohammed states “I believe my purpose is to be out there, in the sun, having fun with the kids and learning from and with them at the same time.” He is looking to pursue his education in order to obtain a diploma in Communication. He can be reached at khaled.mohammed@abacode.org.

Florence NkaluboFLORENCE B. NKALUBO – Secretary

Florence fulfills the Secretary functions in ABaCoDe – Uganda. Owner of a Secondary School within Kampala, Florence impacts her community in diverse ways, especially as the Minister for Youth and Employment of Buganda Kingdom. She can be reached at nkalubo.florence@abacode.org.

 

 

 

Kim MerckaertKIM MERCKAERT – Communication Director

Though currently living in Montréal, Kim was born and raised in Geraardsbergen, Belgium. Fascinated by people and their customs and cultures, Kim set off to explore and learn about the world; a journey that lead her to discover Europe, Japan and Canada, as well as obtain a Masters in Eastern Languages and Cultures and a Masters in Multilingual Business Communication. Since graduating from Universiteit Gent, Kim has lived in Montréal and worked along side the amazing people of Adhoc Recherche as a research analyst. She can be reached at kim.merckaert@abacode.org.

 

Jessica RacineJESSICA RUTH-RACINE – IT Director

Currently living in Shanghai, China to complete a foreign exchange, Jessica, a vibrant Haitian-Quebecer, perfectly harmonizes the flavours of the various cultures she represents. Taking an interest in information technologies during her teenage years, Jessica quickly taught herself to code XHTML and CSS to help friends promote their music. As her interests grew larger, Jessica chose to pursue engineering studies in information technology at the ÉTS, which she will complete in 2012.  She can be reached at jessica.rracine@abacode.org

 

SEAN CULLEN – Advisor

Passionate about design, entrepreneurship, technology, and coffee brewing; Sean balanced freelancing as a graphic designer and strategist with his Commerce studies. After graduating in spring 2011, Sean has completed 2 out of the 3 CFA program exams within 6 months; has launched Creativee, a one stop shop for startups; and has been investigating the repercussions of the infinite growth assumption and the integration of natural services in the economy. He can be reached at sean.cullen@abacode.org

 

Ronald BajjungaRONALD BAJJUNGA – Basketball Ambassador

Ronald is a basketball player, and has been evolving within the national club “Miracle Eagles” for the past years. Holder of a Bachelor degree in Biotechnology, and teacher by profession, Ronald acts as the Head Coach of the ABaCoDe/Mengo SS basketball teams and is one of ABaCoDe’s valuable Basketball Ambassadors in Uganda. He can be reached at bajjunga.ronald@abacode.org.

 

 

Arafat Abdul SalamARAFAT ABDUL SALAM – Basketball Ambassador

Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, Arafat’s eagerness to learn and ability to link ABaCoDe to the community make him a great asset to the development of the organization in Ghana. Reliable, devoted and committed to the organisation, Arafat is in charge of Ghana’s oldest team (17 and under) in addition of his role as Basketball Ambassador in Ghana.

 

 

 

David JacksonDAVID JACKSON – Basketball Ambassador

Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, 17 years old David is the youngest staff member of the organization. In addition to his passion for Basketball, David is a fabulous dancer. With some help, David is planning to go back to school to complete high school but for the mean time, he is in charge of Ghana’s youngest team (12 and under) and acts as a Basketball Ambassador in Ghana.