Simon Thank Giving Ceremony

Simon joined Sports For Change family as a full-sponsored student in 2016. He was our hiking guide and a night guard during one of our leadership camps in Mt.Suswa with our students. He made bonfires together with our students. We sat around and listened to his stories about his life. We discovered he was the best student in his school that year. His parents had a big financial challenge and his dream to join the national school he had been admitted to was about to crush.

We promised to get him a sponsor through our sponsor-student program and we were successful. He sat for his final secondary school exam this year and passed well.
His father, a Maasai elder, hosted a thank-giving ceremony to celebrate 5 years Simon has been with us. This was the first of a kind. We help all our students equally without expecting any reward and his gesture took us by surprise.

The function was held in Suswa, a Maasai village in Narok County in Kenya. We invited other SFC beneficiaries from the region to celebrate Simon’s success together. They attended with their parents, all dressed in Maasai traditional attires. His father had invited the community to also celebrate with us. It turned out to be a very beautiful Maasai culture-themed function.

A goat was slaughtered and roasted. In African culture, slaughtering a goat for guests signifies respect and honor. We were very humbled by this. The women cooked different types of food. It was a real feast.
All the parents that were present gave a short speech. Each of them expressed their love and gratitude towards our work. They gave us handmade beads gifts. They sang and prayed. It was beautiful and very touching.

Simon’s father requested we support him by sponsoring his university education. The villagers requested if we can support more bright young girls from the area. We promised to fundraise and support more. Our hope and dream is to support more girls and boys to attain quality education, not only from that area but from other religions too.

We believe every child has a right to quality education regardless of their background. With little act of kindness from different donors, we can change the world around us. If you have been part of our success journey, we say a BIG thank you. If you would like to join us, we say a Big welcome to SFC family because as Malcolm X said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”