Mwanza’s Ability Spans Beyond the Court
LITCHFIELD, CT – David Mwanza is a dedicated tennis professional with two decades of experience under his belt. He has spent the last 10 years developing players at Westport Tennis Club.
While he enjoys every minute of his day-to-day, long hours on the court got Mwanza thinking about the impact he could make off the court. Enter ‘Ability Beyond the Court,’ Mwanza’s new 501 (c)(3) and a concept he’s been dreaming up for years.
“Tennis always played a big role in life and career, and I thought there was something outside of my own career I could do,” Mwanza said. “Ability Beyond the Court is meant to help kids with tennis and education, and hopefully through tennis, they can acquire some skills they can use through their lives.”
Mwanza, originally from Zambia, created the organization with the hopes of helping to enrich the lives of kids in both the United States and Zambia. Ability Beyond the Court was officially incorporated in April 2023.
Mwanza moved to the U.S. in 2001 to attend Myers University in Ohio and was a member of their tennis team. While he built a life in the U.S., which included raising five children, he never forgot his roots and would always be tied to his home nation.
He kept in touch by collecting used balls, racquets and other gear from Connecticut clubs and shipped them halfway across the world to Zambian tennis academies. Now, these donations have become an integral service piece for Ability Beyond the Court.
Additionally, Mwanza teamed up with UCLA to obtain and ship materials and resources to multiple schools in Zambia from the university’s Arthur Ashe Oral History Project.
“These kids are appreciative, as it’s hard to find tennis balls out there, and we’re sending a steady supply for them,” Mwanza said. “Also, the learning materials add a little different twist. Now, they can have more tennis conversations off the tennis court and learn about how they can impact the community and be better people like Arthur Ashe,” Mwanza said.
Mwanza (right) has sent a number of resources on Arthur Ashe to Zambian schools.
Last summer, Mwanza helped run a two-week enrichment program at Wallace Middle School in Waterbury, CT, leading all tennis aspects of the program. Most of the program’s profit was donated to Ability Beyond the Court.
Still in its infancy stage, Ability Beyond the Court has already made a tremendous impact, however Mwanza’s vision is more ambitious.
He is hoping by the fall or winter to be incorporated as a USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapter, a network co-founded by Ashe more than 50 years ago. Beyond that, Mwanza has his sights set on creating an exchange program between young players in the U.S. and Zambia, with the goal of exposing them to a unique new environment.
Ability Beyond the Court is led by Executive Director Mwanza, along with Connecticut tennis professionals, Richard Makepeace and Pierre Moudourou.
To learn more and to donate to the organization, click here.
To view more photos of Mwanza and Ability Beyond the Court, click here.
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