The Tanzanian Center plans to make an assist—educating youth of East Africa.

Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania—May 3, 2010—The NBA’s Hasheem Thabeet is starting his off- season as the official spokesperson of Kujali International (Kujali), a US non-profit organization that partners with local communities to help establish free secondary boarding schools for orphaned and vulnerable children in East Africa.

For Thabeet, the first and only NBA athlete from Tanzania, education is fundamental to building a more sustainable world. “I believe that you can solve many of the world’s problems with a proper education,” said Thabeet. “We have to do our part to help the next generation develop so that the issues faced today can be eliminated tomorrow.”

As the official spokesperson of Kujali, Thabeet will kick off the partnership with a visit and tour of HOCET Secondary School on Friday, May 7. HOCET Secondary School (HSS) is a free private boarding school for disadvantaged teens that was co-founded by Kujali International and its Tanzanian partner organization, Hananasif Orphanage Center (HOCET). The school is located 30 miles outside of Thabeet’s hometown of Dar-es-Salaam.

HSS provides housing, education, healthcare, and extracurricular programming free of cost for 95 students from all over Tanzania; it also features pilot projects in agriculture farming, fine arts, and entrepreneurship training. Through investments in small businesses that will fund school operations, Kujali and HOCET have been working to establish a new, self-sustainable model for providing free, quality education and life-skills training to orphaned and vulnerable youth.

Thabeet has also pledged $10,000 towards the completion of a new computer center at HSS, an important step toward ensuring that its students have access to 21st century resources and skills.

“We are thrilled to name Hasheem Thabeet as our official spokesperson,” said Kujali Founder and President Sydney Schaef. “He is a member of this community, he understands the landscape, and he is committed to helping us open the door of opportunity to children in need.”

Thabeet, a native of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft to the Memphis Grizzlies. He joined the NBA after a successful three years at the University of Connecticut where he was one of the nation’s most touted defensive players. Standing tall at 7’3”, Thabeet began playing basketball at age 15. To find out more about Thabeet, log on to http://www.hasheemthabeet.com.

Founded in 2006, Kujali International is a US 501c3 non-profit that seeks to equip disadvantaged children with the tools, resources, and opportunities to overcome poverty and become agents of change in their communities. Kujali and HOCET are in their fourth year of partnership, working toward a shared vision for youth empowerment and poverty alleviation through education and social entrepreneurship. To learn more, visit http://www.kujali.org/.

CONTACT: Ilana Nunn, BDA Sports Management, inunn@bdasports.com, 203-545-3855.