After doing Lewa marathon barefoot in June successfully and without breaking a toe 🙂 my next goal is to do my first road race all tarmac barefoot at Standard. It has never been done before and I am determined to do it. Join me and let’s make history together. I will be doing this run for Sports For Change, a charity that is very close to my heart.
The founder Shiku Waithaka started the charity through her passion for running to support bright kids from underprivileged backgrounds to access quality education. A lot of students who have gone through the organization have graduated with bachelor’s degrees in various courses, some are working. One of the beneficiaries who is doing mechanical engineering in India will graduate next year. I find this very inspiring. The charity aims to support 50 students next year. This will bring the total beneficiary number to 150. It cost $500 to sponsor a child annually.
This year Sports For change received overwhelming requests to help deserving kids from underprivileged families. Most of these kids stayed home for months due to lack of school fees, while their schoolmates joined secondary school.
Meet Dorcas, a Maasai girl who joined our program in June this year. She lost her father 2 years ago. She lives in a very remote and dry area together with her mum and 4 siblings. They all depend on the $5 a day the mother gets from doing casual labor on a nearby farm.
She studied hard in school despite challenges at home. When she finally sat for her KCPE exams (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) her performance was good. She was among the top girls in her school. She was excited beyond words.
She applied for a scholarship with a big institution that sponsors bright and deserving kids like her but she was not successful. She was told there were other kids who were more deserving. She was left broken and confused. After staying home for weeks without any luck in getting any sponsorship, She lost hope and joined her mother in doing casual jobs.
A local community leader heard about our organization through our beneficiaries. She reached out, told us her story, and connected us with her. We traveled to her village to meet her and her family. Her big smile welcomed us. She said later that, our visit was a miracle for her. Her dream to go to school was now real. She couldn’t stop smiling. We promised to pay for her education until she completed university. She shed tears of joy.  ,” You have touched my heart and restored my hope to continue with my education and change my future. You have changed my life. She said as she hugged us. This was a beautiful moment to witness.
Many kids like Dorcas are denied a right to access education just because they come from very poor families. They are left hopeless and so aware that their poor background can define their future. 8 out of 10 girls who drop out of school get married and pregnant at an early age of 13 years. Sadly, the poverty cycle continues. The charity’s goal is to break this cycle.
I invite YOU to join me in my barefoot running journey, as crazy as it may sound, let us support these kids the best way we can because together we can do more!