The Recreation Project
The Recreation Project is a 501c3 non-profit that delivers a 15-week life skills curriculum through outdoor adventure and transformative play at its 5-acre ropes course in northern Uganda, serving at-risk youth ages 6–24, primary school students, and children in conflict with the law via partnerships with UNICEF, schools, and detention centers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersKampala, Uganda
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Recreation Project does
The Recreation Project (TRP) is a US-incorporated 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2009 with operational headquarters in Gulu, northern Uganda. TRP delivers a 15-week evidence-based life skills and psychosocial development curriculum to youth and families through outdoor adventure and transformative play, addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and building resilience in a post-conflict region. Its core technology is a physical 5-acre outdoor adventure center featuring a 30-meter climbing wall, low and high ropes courses, zip-line, leap of faith, and crate tower challenge, combined with a play-theory-grounded experiential learning model that simulates real-world adversity in a controlled environment.
The company's program portfolio comprises four core offerings: the Climbing Club (a 15-week program for out-of-school youth ages 16–24 culminating in a 50-meter wilderness repel), the Primary School Program (integrated into P6 physical education at partner schools with three-year focal-teacher partnerships), the Children in Conflict with the Law Program (delivered twice weekly at juvenile detention centers with family reintegration components), and Partner Programs tailored for NGOs such as Hashtag Gulu and MTINDO School of Fashion. Supporting components include TRP Family Day events and end-of-year youth camps. Distribution is direct through the Gulu adventure center and via institutional partnerships with UNICEF, AVSI, Geneva Global, Vista Hermosa Foundation, and the NUCRA consortium.
TRP's revenue model is primarily donations and charitable contributions from institutional funders, supplemented by a commercial team-building and staff retreat service priced in Ugandan Shillings (UGX 20,000 walk-in rates; 40,000–65,000 UGX per person for group sessions; 100,000+ UGX minimum for corporate full-day; off-site negotiated). The organization has 11–50 employees and is governed by a board chaired by Zach Hoins with executive leadership from Denish Acellam. Customer/beneficiary concentration is high, anchored in a small set of major donors and a few partner schools and detention centers, with operations confined to northern Uganda.
The Recreation Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Recreation Project
- Legal name
- The Recreation Project
- Website
- https://therecreationproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Recreation Project is a 501c3 non-profit that delivers a 15-week life skills curriculum through outdoor adventure and transformative play at its 5-acre ropes course in northern Uganda, serving at-risk youth ages 6–24, primary school students, and children in conflict with the law via partnerships with UNICEF, schools, and detention centers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Recreation Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Development Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO), Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)
Keywords
Where The Recreation Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kampala
- HQ country
- Uganda
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Recreation Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501c3 non-profit organization, The Recreation Project relies on tax-deductible donations from individual donors, foundations, and institutional funders to support program operations and expansion.
- Team Building and Retreat Services: Custom-designed team building and staff retreat experiences offered at the forest venue or off-site at client locations. Pricing ranges from 300,000 UGX flat rate for half-day sessions to 65,000 UGX per person for full-day experiences, with walk-in rates of 20,000 UGX per activity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Friends and Family Groups (10+ people) - Half-Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Friends and Family Groups - Full Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Corporate Groups - Half-Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Corporate Groups - Full Day |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Offsite Team Building |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Walk-in Clients |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
The Recreation Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Recreation Project delivers life skills and psychosocial development programs for Ugandan youth through outdoor adventure and transformative play at its 5-acre adventure center outside Gulu. Core offerings include the 15-week Climbing Club for out-of-school youth ages 16-24, the Primary School Program, the Children in Conflict with the Law program at juvenile detention centers, and tailored Partner Programs for youth-serving NGOs. The organization also sells team building and staff retreat experiences to corporate and organizational clients, both on-site and off-site.
Product overview
The Recreation Project operates as a single unified offering focused on life skills and psychosocial development through outdoor adventure and transformative play. The organization's portfolio consists of service-based programs centered around their 5-acre outdoor adventure center in northern Uganda, which features a 30-meter climbing wall, low and high ropes course, zip-line, leap of faith, and crate tower challenge. Core programs include the 15-week Climbing Club for out-of-school youth ages 16-24, the Primary School Program integrated into partner schools, the Children in Conflict with the Law Program delivered at juvenile detention centers, and Partner Programs tailored for external organizations. Supporting program components include TRP Family Day events, youth camps, and team building/staff retreat services for external groups.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Climbing Club A 15-week program for youth ages 16-24 who are out of school that combines technical climbing skills and life skills through weekly visits to the outdoor adventure center, culminating in a wilderness excursion with camping and repelling down a 50m cliff.
- Primary School Program Integration of TRP's 15-week life skills curriculum into Primary Year 6 physical education periods at partner schools, including three parent sessions and outdoor excursions to TRP's adventure site, delivered through multi-year partnerships with focal teacher training.
- Children in Conflict with the Law Program Play-based life skills and social-emotional education program delivered at local juvenile detention centers twice weekly, including conflict management, family dialogue, and culminating in a family day of healing activities to prepare children for reintegration after release.
- Partner Programs Tailored life skills and resilience education curriculum delivered in partnership with other youth-serving organizations, including Hashtag Gulu (street-connected youth) and MTINDO School of Fashion (vocational students), to supplement their vocational and social programming with TRP's soft skills content.
- Team Building & Staff Retreats Custom-designed team building and staff retreat experiences offered to corporate groups, NGOs, and foreign non-residents either on-site at TRP's forest adventure center or off-site at client locations, featuring activities such as the 30-meter climbing wall, zip-line, leap of faith, and crate tower challenge.
Quantifiable outcome
- 210 youth and families graduated from Climbing Club in 2024
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Recreation Project
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Recreation Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Recreation Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UNICEFcoreUNICEF partners with The Recreation Project on youth programming, with a dedicated UNICEF Program Coordinator (Bongomin Ben) on staff managing the partnership.
- MtindominorPartner organization working with TRP on economic empowerment programs combined with life skills programming.
- Taka Taka PlasticsminorPartner organization referenced as part of holistic approaches to child and youth development interventions.
- AVSIcoreInternational NGO consortium partner working with TRP on youth development programming in Uganda.
- Hashtag GuluminorIn 2021, partnered with Hashtag Gulu to deliver resilience education to street-connected youth in Gulu town. Hashtag delivers vocational training while TRP supplements with soft skills development.
- MODO School of FashionminorPartnership to deliver life skills and empowerment programs to students in MODO's tailoring vocational program.
- MTINDO School of FashionminorPartnership in 2024 to deliver life skills programming alongside vocational fashion training.
- Northern Uganda Climate Change Action (NUCRA) ConsortiumcoreTRP is a consortium partner in the NUCRA initiative working alongside three other organizations delivering livelihood support across northern Uganda. While partners focus on household livelihoods, TRP addresses climate shocks by equipping communities with transferable life and resilience skills.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Recreation Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- War Child: International nonprofit working with children affected by war, providing psychosocial support, education, and protection. Directly comparable to TRP's trauma-informed youth programming rooted in post-conflict northern Uganda.
- Right To Play: Global nonprofit that uses sport and play to protect, educate, and empower children facing adversity. Direct peer to TRP because both organizations deliver youth development outcomes through play-based experiential learning in low-resource settings, with overlapping funder ecosystems.
- Outward Bound International: Global network of outdoor education organizations delivering character development through challenging wilderness experiences. Closely comparable to TRP's ropes-course model and 15-week transformational adventure curriculum for youth.
- Wilderness Foundation UK: Charity using wilderness experiences to support vulnerable young people and improve mental wellbeing. Highly comparable to TRP's therapeutic outdoor model targeting trauma and resilience in young people.
- Africa School of Outdoor Leadership and Adventure: African outdoor leadership and adventure education school co-founded by Will Wamaru, who serves on TRP's board. Operates in the same East African outdoor education category with overlapping instructor talent pool and methodology.
Others
- World Bicycle Relief: Global nonprofit providing mobility solutions to students and health workers in rural Africa. Comparable funder base and East African rural youth beneficiary focus, but different intervention vehicle.
- Village Enterprise: Economic empowerment nonprofit operating in Uganda, Kenya, DRC, and Rwanda, with overlapping board leadership (Zach Hoins and Winnie Auma). Comparable geography and funder ecosystem, but focuses on livelihoods rather than direct youth outdoor programming.
Broad incumbents
- National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Established US-based wilderness education provider offering leadership and outdoor skills training. Comparable curriculum philosophy (experiential learning, controlled adversity) but operates globally at much larger scale as a fee-for-service model rather than nonprofit.
Emerging players
- AVSI Foundation: International NGO implementing education, health, and social protection programs in Uganda. Already a core consortium partner of TRP, with overlapping youth development and psychosocial support programming in northern Uganda.
- Hashtag Gulu: Ugandan nonprofit serving street-connected youth in Gulu through vocational training. Active partner of TRP for combined vocational + life skills programming; comparable geography and beneficiary overlap.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Recreation Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Recreation Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Recreation Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
The Recreation Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Recreation Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Recreation Project
What does The Recreation Project do?
The Recreation Project delivers life skills and psychosocial development programs for Ugandan youth through outdoor adventure and transformative play at its 5-acre adventure center outside Gulu. Core offerings include the 15-week Climbing Club for out-of-school youth ages 16-24, the Primary School Program, the Children in Conflict with the Law program at juvenile detention centers, and tailored Partner Programs for youth-serving NGOs. The organization also sells team building and staff retreat experiences to corporate and organizational clients, both on-site and off-site.
Is The Recreation Project a public or private company?
The Recreation Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Recreation Project founded?
The Recreation Project was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Recreation Project based?
The Recreation Project is headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, in the Africa region.
How does The Recreation Project make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are team Building and Retreat Services.
Who are The Recreation Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are War Child, Right To Play, Outward Bound International, Wilderness Foundation UK and Africa School of Outdoor Leadership and Adventure. Others are World Bicycle Relief and Village Enterprise. National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are AVSI Foundation and Hashtag Gulu.
Does The Recreation Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Recreation Project.
What industry is The Recreation Project in?
The Recreation Project's product category is Youth Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAJ, Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDAMALAO, Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.