We have had links with the Obama family for many years. It began with our association with Tim Fox at Kogelo Tours and his long time friend Roy Obama. Roy is a cousin of the former US President and became our guide when we visited schools in the early years of our scholarships. We had many adventures travelling down dusty red tracks to remote secondary schools, often with only the vaguest of directions.
As a result Tim was able to arrange for us to visit with Grandma Sarah Obama and she recorded a rare piece on camera describing the importance of education to young Kenyans (you can see it here). She became a Patron of the Red Rubber Ball Foundation and many of our supporters enjoyed visits to her home over the years.
So our time in Kenya has come full circle with the opening of our latest cycling club at the Senator Barack Obama Secondary School in Kogelo, the home village of Grandma Sarah.
In June 2023, the first fifteen bikes were delivered by Kinjah of the Safari Simbaz, Chris Froome’s school-boy mentor and technical advisor to our cycling programme.
Having already checked the bikes over, they were handed over to the safe custody of school Principal, Mr Odongo, and the teacher in charge of the cycling club, Mr Adala.
Kinjah spent two days at the school introducing the children to cycling, bike mechanics and basic maintenance. The children will now be able to choose cycling as a PE activity alongside football and netball. And they’ll get to go out on rides at weekends and school holidays. Hopefully in time, they’ll also meet up with children from our other club at Namasoli School. Kinjah has ridden between the two so we know it’s possible.
He will also be back soon for another visit, when he will continue the training in bike handling skills and make sure the bikes are being well looked after. And he will deliver the rest of our cycling package – a bike stand and toolbox, helmets, pumps, water bottles and cycling clothing – everything they’ll need to run a cycling club.
We hope that the children at SBOSS will enjoy cycling as much as those at Namasoli and join them out cycling. And lets hope there may be another club in another school by the end of the year.