Sport Changemakers on the ground in Kenya

It is now nearly a month since the peace agreement has been signed in Kenya and nearly three months since the Sport for a Better World collaborative competition has closed. We watched in shock and awe asviolence tore through Kenya, an enduring and successful democracy in acontinent so many wrongly assume to be in crisis. I spoke to and communicated with nearly a thousand organizations and individuals working on the ground throughout the world using sports to improve thelives of their children, families, and communities, but a short andpoignant message stays with me. A short email from Sarah Forde of Movingthe Goalposts in the midst of the violence, she wrote:

Hi Tyler,

Things are hard in Kenya after the post election violence. We neverthought it could get this bad. It makes our application all the more important to show there are innovative people here working for social change. Please, if I cannot post an entry, can I send a word document attachment to you? Our internet seems to be even worse after the election.
Sarah

It was a sentiment so many of our Kenyan entrants expressed, fromNairobi to Kisumu, despite the terror that each were experiencing, theneed for sports to create unity and peace rang true and loud. CapitalArea Soccer League had submitted an entry prior to the elections butonce the violence broke out, Enouce Ndeche wrote me urgently hoping to make the deadline to submit another entry, one focusing on bridging the chasm that was taking over her homeland. The violence was on going but she had already begun to launch a program to reconcile the slum inhabitants in Kiambiu. I hope now that some of the dust has settled, Enouce is able to implement her timely program.

At the close of the competition, we received an astounding eighteenentries from Kenya. Even more astounding, of these eighteen entries -truly innovative and sustainable, all having profound impacts in theircommunities - four went to become finalists and will all be convened andbrought together this summer at the Global Sport for a Better WorldChange Summit. Sarah will be one of the sixteen finalists there. I feel though that the stories that have come out of Kenya fit into the larger context of the wonderful representation of Africa in this competition.

Africa was represented by 105 entries from 25 countries among the 381, over a quarter of the entries came from a continent where internetaccess is so difficult to come by and in a place rarely regarded as asource of innovation. From countries like Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Liberia, countries whose memories are riddled with strife and struggleis looking ahead at how the engaging power of sports can carry thiscontinent into the new century. It is truly remarkable and it shouldindeed be remarked.

Tyler Ahn is Outreach Marketing Manager for Ashoka’s Changemakers andwas responsible for the direct outreach for Sport for a Better WorldCompetition. All entries can be read and commented on at http://changemakers.net/en-us/competition/sports- entries can be sorted by country name.