They say good news travels fast. That, in and of itself, is good news for Emmanuel Bale, founder of the "Slum Ping Pong" initiative in Kampala, Uganda. Bale was raised by his grandmother in Kampala's Nsambya slum. In 2007, he was invited by chance to play a new sport called table tennis. "It was my first-time hearing of the words and sport but I was interested, it was something new, something to do and learn so I ran," recalls Bale. "On the first day, he just handed me a racquet and taught me how to hold and bounce the ball and the rest is history." What began as a fun diversion from the harsh realities of life in the slum turned into a golden ticket to a better life. In Kampala, even primary education costs money. Bale's talent for table tennis earned him a scholarship to primary school, and he continued to excel as both a scholar and an athlete. Now an ITTF Level 1 certified coach, Bale looked for a way to give back to his community. The result was "Slum Ping Pong," a grassroots campaign to turn table tennis into a pathway to education for children in the slums of Kampala. "In 2017, I realized I wanted to do the same for the kids where I grew up, where I come from, so I created Slum Ping Pong," recounts Bale. "I shared my dream with my table tennis friends, because I saw and know the need of so many children who were just like me. I really knew I can’t do it alone." Luckily, he doesn't have to. In another stroke of serendipity, Bale found a novelty video of German table tennis star Sabine Winter playing on top of a mountain and shared it with his students, much to their delight. When Bale contacted Winter to let her know how much they enjoyed the video, she grew curious Slum Ping Pong. She is now one of their biggest supporters. Not only did she help Slum Ping Pong secure sponsorship from the ITTF Foundation, she has vigorously promoted their cause on social media. "It's a very nice feeling for me to know that I have been able to help Slum Ping Pong a little," says Winter, who has personally donated over 3,000 euros. "They don't take support from us or others for granted and are always grateful for small things." As word of the Slum Ping Pong program spreads, those small things are turning into bigger forms of material support. For example, a German couple who heard about them on Sabine's social media recently donated 50 rackets and paid the school tuition for 20 students. For Emmanuel Bale, what started as a childish whim has grown into a philanthropic institution with the potential to empower a growing number of Ugandan children with the life-changing gift of education. "The dream is to bring the change through table tennis, for the people who are just like us, slum children, who share the same background and life challenges and everything," says Bale. With news of the good news traveling at the speed of Internet and creating more good news, Slum Ping Pong seems destined to generate even more good news in 2021.

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