PEACE RESOLUTION
It
took a virtual revolution to get us into Peace! Joking aside during the
post elections violence in December 2007/January 2008 we decided to use
a series of races to promote peace.
In this picture taken in March 2008 you have Douglas Wakiihuri of the Kikuyu tribe, Kenya's first world marathon champion, and you have Luke Kibet of the Kalenjin tribe, the then reigning world marathon champion. They marched through the Rift Valley town of Iten with 42 Olympic and world class athletes behind from all the different tribes of Kenya. Then, waving olive branches, came 600 schoolgirls singing "Run for Peace."
We held other peace races in the countryside, and at the center of the largest IDP (internally displaced people) camp in Kenya; Eldoret Showground. We took school kids from Eldoret and marched them along the roads of Eldoret to the showground, then inside the refugees were lined up in two rows, and the Eldoret kids marched in wearing a yellow T shirt, and holding a similar T shirt to give as a gift to a new found friend.
They then ran round the camp where the IDP's were stuck in their canvas tents in a peace run, inspiring the 20,000 camp dwellers. Seeing their "young" being united and as peace ambassadors in a country raging with tribal hatred.
The year of peace races culminated in 5000-women running for peace in the biggest ever women's gathering inside the Kibera slum making a yellow trail of peace wind its way through the small mud paths that make up the world's second largest slum.
The impact hit home at the very first event; following the race a T shirt was delivered to one of the elite athletes, a drunk beggar who lived in the village and always asked for all and everything approached seemingly eyeing the new T shirt, but instead said, "Thanks, we really needed that event." And simply walked away.
And the next day when running in this village where all the African kids would typically yell "How are you? How are you?" but the next day the kids stood on the roads, waiting, and as the morning run was taken (without prompting from school teacher or parent) they had stopped on their way to school to all shout out "Thanks." Things only went better from then on.
[Watch the video of the Kenyan Peace Races]
SHOE4AFRICA SOCCER TEAM, powered by Soccerade.
Read more [click here] about our team made up of women from all tribes playing together promoting peace through sports.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Kenya
used to be 30% forest. They say that 10% coverage for a country is
critical. Less than this amount severely affects the whole country,
adversely of course. An immediate impact that is seen are the rains no
longer fall as they did causing droughts and famine.
Today Kenya's forestry coverage stands at a mind-numbing 2%
Simply put the country, to secure its future, has to plant trees. That is where we come in. When working with the Green Tree Foundation to "Green" the Shoe4Africa hospital we realized that we could partner to make an extremely visual statement to the Kenyan public.
Imagine thousands of women gathering to plant trees, trees that promote cottage industry making them save-able commodities and not to be chopped down for charcoal. Then the women go on a mass-run, and get running shoes... Shoes that are "reused" from the roads of America.
Pic: At a Shoe4Africa event: World Champion Lornah Kiplagat, Amsterdam Marathon Champion Madgalene Chemjor, Olympic Champion John Ngugi, and World Champion, Moses Tanui, plant a tree.