Team
Run by our team in The Gambia
Ascend started in 2015, when a few former Peace Corps volunteers teamed up with Gambian basketball players and referees. Today our Gambian staff run the program, and our board in the US raises the money to keep it free.
In The Gambia
Our staff
Kebba and Alhagie have been with Ascend since the beginning. Bintou and Abdou Wahab both came through the program as students.
Alhagie Manjang
Program Manager
Alhagie got into basketball watching NBA games at a local TV club and trained as a referee with the Gambian Basketball Association, which is where he met Seth. Today he runs the program day to day. When a teacher strike stopped our tutoring, he stepped in and taught the classes himself.
Read Alhagie’s story
Kebba Faal
Head Coach
Kebba grew up in the community we serve and joined Ascend as a volunteer on day one in 2015. He became our assistant coach and took over as head coach in 2022. Off our court, he has captained the Kotu Blue Ninjas in the national league and coached The Gambia’s youth 3-on-3 teams.
Read Kebba’s story
Bintou Dembelle
Assistant Coach
Bintou joined Ascend in 2015 as one of our first students. She went on to play for the Kotu Blue Ninjas and for The Gambia across Africa and in Europe, and she holds a master’s degree in hospitality and tourism. Alhagie says our students see her as an older sister.
Read Bintou’s story
Abdou Wahab Njie
Head of Alumni
Abdou Wahab came through Ascend as a student and now leads Ascend Alumni. Our alumni come back to help run practice, lead the Saturday life-skills sessions and mentor the next class.
Our tutors
Our tutors are teachers who work with our students every Tuesday and Thursday. Before exams they switch to test-taking skills and mock tests. In 2024/25, Madam Clara and Mr. Jarju led 55 tutoring sessions, and Mr. Bah joined in 2026 to teach science.
- EnglishMadam Clara
- MathMr. Jarju
- ScienceMr. Bah
In the US
Our board
Our board in the US raises the money and keeps the books. Every board member is a volunteer, so what you give goes to the program.
Seth Williams
Co-founder and Board Chair
Brian Bartley
Board Member
Mark Anderson
Board Member
Josh Trinder
Advisor and Former Director
Kara Schillings
Media Manager
Our partners
St. Therese’s Upper Basic School
Our home in Serekunda since 2015. Ascend Academy practices on the school’s court and holds tutoring in its classrooms.
Gambian Basketball Association
Runs the national league, where our coaches have played and refereed for years and where our alumni go on to play.
Your gift pays our coaches and tutors
In 2024/25, 80% of what we spent went to our Gambian coaches, tutors and program staff. The rest went to equipment and school supplies.