I will be running Lewa full marathon barefoot to raise money for Sports for change, a wholly Kenyan charity organization that sponsors education of orphans and other bright and deserving students in Kenya. They sponsor kids to join secondary school and support them through to university. This is my second time running barefoot in Lewa to raise money for the charity. I want to beat my previous barefoot record of 4 hrs 55 mins minus a broken toe 🙂

I was told of Lanya, a girl who recently joined SFC family. She relocated with her mother and 3 siblings from Western Kenya and settled in Central Kenya in a small village called Makomboki in search of work.

Her mum got work as a casual laborer in a tea farm. Lanya and her siblings joined the neighboring primary school. They would join her mum to pick tea every Sat and school holidays. She studied at night, using a kerosene lamp. The room they all live in has no electricity.

 When she finally sat for her KCPE exams (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) her performance was exceptional. She was number one in her school. She was excited beyond words. She applied for scholarship with a big institution that sponsors bright and deserving kids like her. It was turned down because she was not from that area. She was left broken, confused and hopeless.

A local community leader connected her to us. We did a home visit and spoke to her and her mother. We discovered that Lanya and her family have no furniture in the small room they call home. They sleep on the floor. Her hope to get out of this poverty is education. We paid for her school fees and promised to help her family further to make their life more bearable.

We touched her heart, restored her hope and changed her life.

Many kids like Lanya are denied a right to access quality education just because they come from very deserving families. They are left hopeless and so aware that their poor background can define their future. this is where Sports for change come in, connect with these deserving kids and change this narrative. They touch their hearts by re-storing their hope and changing their lives. I am part of their success stories and my dream is to raise funds and assist more kids.

With your help, we hope to find a way to continue supporting the noble effort of educating financially disadvantaged but gifted young girls and boys as we impact and equip them for life. They will in turn be well-positioned to transform their communities as envisioned by Sports For Change mantra.

Join hands with me as I take up this challenge to run Lewa barefoot and be part of the change.

You can support me by donating to my cause and sharing my fundraiser with your friends & colleagues in an effort to reach a wider network of support.

For more details about Sports for Change, visit their website:  www.sports4change.org