Chapter 3: Not Forgotten

I’m laying in bed listening to the pounding rain outside. I couldn’t help but reflect on day two. It was filled with amazing firsts. There was a nervous energy and immense excitement in anticipation of the scheduled events of day three. As I finished getting and packed up my things I really didn’t quite know what to expect. The most I knew was we were going to be watching a volleyball match in an outdoor field between two high school teams, and finish with an exhibition match between the Kenyan National Team and myself. The day turned out to be much more than a match. It was life-changing.

The festivities of the day were going to be held in what was described as the poorest and the most dangerous part of Nairobi, the Mukuru Kwa Njenga Informal Settlement. As the name states, it is an informal settlement largely independent of the oversight and enforcement by the Nairobi government. World Concern has been active in the Settlement and knows it well and has planned for security during the event. I can hear the questions you’re asking as you read this – you need security? Yes, but for some reason I was completely at ease, anticipation and excitement were what I was feeling most driving to Mukuru. After all, this is exactly what this trip is all about – to bring hope and opportunity to the poorest and poverty-stricken people in Kenya. People that have largely been forgotten, where hope and opportunity is non-existent.

As I said on countless occasions, sports are at the service of humanity. Sports have been proven repeatedly to be the ultimate bridge, bringing people of all nationalities, ethnicity, and religious beliefs together. Sports have given countless youth a sense of purpose and belonging and allowed them to escape from poverty, gang affiliations, addiction, and other dire circumstances. In effect, giving countless children hope and opportunity.

We pull off the highway and onto the access road to the venue and BAM, poverty instantly redefined. Mud roads, compliments of last night’s rain, lead us through shacks made of tin, tires, plastic, random scraps of wood, etc., all masquerading as homes and businesses. Most of the businesses were selling products that must have been retrieved from the nearby dump. That dump, we soon found out, was home to the sports field for the high school that we would be playing a neighboring school that morning. It was also the home field where we would be playing our exhibition match.

This kind of poverty simply does not exist in America, or anything close to it. My first thought, other than OMG, this a scene out of some movie about the survivors of Armageddon. This was barely survival, and certainly not living as we understand it. But as the day unfolded, shock turned into – this is exactly where we should be and why I came to Kenya. To let them know they have not been forgotten.

As we continued down the mud road, we arrived at the “sports field”. It was literally a volleyball court in a massive garbage dump. It’s where the high school’s volleyball team practices each day, and where their tournaments are played. I was still suffering from the shock of it all as we climbed out of the vans.

As we waited for the school teams to warm up, we were surrounded by all the children from the Settlement. Their clear curiosity was soon replaced by smiles once we started talking with them. We pulled out the volleyballs and started showing them how to hold their hands and hit the ball, and those smiles became pure joy. It was magic. While waiting for the teams to warm up, we decided to take a little stroll along the muddy road and talk to some of the people along the way. The children followed, virtually fighting each other to be able to hold our hands, and absolutely thrilled to be a part of a “tour” of the area they see every day. Along that tour, I learned how to properly hold a chicken (absolutely a first), ride a motorbike (also get asked to sit on a motorbike…my dad might not be too happy at this pic), and give rides to the kids in a wheelbarrow on a muddy road (absolutely another first). While the girls warmed up for the match, we had just warmed up the crowd.

We returned to the “sports field”, and we were introduced to the girls. The girls, like the children, initially appeared to be curious. It was as if they were trying to understand why we were there. They certainly knew the agenda, watching them play volleyball, then watch us play in an exhibition match. But WHY are we there? An American Olympian, two Kenyan Olympians, and a member from the Kenyan National Volleyball. The match started and the girls played their hearts out, and they were good. They played with so much heart and joy! To see them smiling, competing hard, and hearing the loud, thunderous cheering after each point from their community was an unimaginable sight to take in.

Now it was our turn to play the exhibition match, BUT we had a surprise! We weren’t playing, at least initially, two on two. Each girl would be able to join me, Gaudencia, Brackcides and Veronica on the court while we play six on six. The shocked look on their faces, followed by smiles and high fives, said it all. We were there solely for them. They mattered. After already playing three sets, they again played their hearts out. But this round of play, they played even better. It shows that a little of attention, guidance, encouragement and love goes a long way for a kid. After we finished six on six and ending with the last team huddles full smiles and high fives, the four of us played our exhibition match.

It was now time for the presentations on the court. I handed out trophies that World Concern had made especially for the team and school and recognized each girl. I then had the incredible privilege of presenting each team with volleyballs generously donated by USA Volleyball, and a volleyball net generously donated by Volleyball USA. The shock and joy on their faces lit up a very cloudy day. It was like little kids on Christmas morning when they discovered all the presents Santa had delivered the night before. Why did it mean so much to them? It more than doubled the number of volleyballs each school had, and it doubled the number of nets, but most importantly it showed them they are seen, appreciated, and that somebody cares. Their faces and words said it all.

Every day has been an incredible first, and today has been no different. The shock of turning the corner and driving down that muddy road and witnessing indescribable poverty is really beyond description.

What occurred thereafter gave rise to an entirely different emotion. We were initially met with a sense of curiosity, maybe even skepticism. Why were we in the place that they certainly didn’t want to be?

Entirely understandable. But showing that we were interested in them by the simple actions of a smile, saying good morning in Swahili, teaching them something as simple as how to hold their hands and hit a volleyball, and a warm smile makes all the difference.

The children were not the cause of the unmanageable poverty, they are prisoners living in a hostile place, in conditions not of their making. They are victims. They should never be forgotten. They should be encouraged. They should be given hope and opportunity.

All the questions asking, “Why Kenya”, the answer is simple, this, and other places like it, is exactly where we should be.