The Founder's Story · A memoir by Adeola Ajayi
From barefoot beginnings to global impact.
The story behind the mission.
Footprints on Concrete: The Story of a Barefoot Dreamer Who Refused to Quit. The unforgettable true story of a Nigerian boy who turned poverty into purpose.
Hardcover · Paperback · eBook · 194 pages · JM Publishing LLC
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From the official book description
The unforgettable true story of a Nigerian boy who turned poverty into purpose.
What does it mean to rise when the world expects you to stay down? In Footprints on Concrete, Adeola Ajayi tells the incredible true story of walking barefoot through the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, with hunger in his belly—but purpose in his soul.
From living in a 9×9 room and battling daily poverty to being sent back home from school, breaking both legs, and still rising to build a global foundation—this book is a raw, poetic, and inspiring story of transformation, resilience, and redemption.
Keep scrolling to open the book
Inside these pages
Five threads that run through the story.
01
Barefoot beginnings
Hunger, a 9×9 room and streets walked barefoot. The place where the story starts.
02
Mentors & mothers
The people and quiet miracles that carried a young dreamer through.
03
Broken, not finished
Being sent home, breaking both legs, and choosing to rise anyway.
04
A cracked court
How one basketball court in Nigeria became the heartbeat of a movement.
05
Pain into purpose
Turning the hardest chapters into a foundation that opens doors for children.
Themes summarised from the official book description. Read the full story in the book.
The story behind the purpose
The book tells the journey. The Foundation shows what it made possible.
- Barefoot on cracked concrete → every AOA camper now receives properly fitting shoes: 2,567+ pairs and counting.
- A 9×9 room in Sango Ota → Noble Court, which Adeola called “the physical manifestation of a dream born in a small 9×9 room right here in Sango Ota.”
- Mentors who believed in him → coaches, teachers and mentors at every camp, and the “three Rs” he teaches campers.
- A cracked court → a rebuilt community court and, in 2025, a purpose-built court for the next generation.
Every purchase of Footprints on Concrete supports the work of the Adeola Ajayi Foundation. (per footprintsonconcrete.com)
“Even if your path begins on concrete, you still have the power to leave footprints.”
Adeola Ajayi
Get your copy
Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook.
Official site price: $20 – $25 (hardcover & paperback, official site). ISBN 9798992535952.
Speaking engagements
Book Adeola to speak.
Schools, companies, churches and community events.
- Resilience
- Mentorship
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You can also reach out through the official book website.
In the press
Every purchase supports the Foundation.