Last Saturday, my colleagues and I visited Gatina Primary School in Kawangware, to join the community in a basketball tournament organized by the Cross Over Basketball Ambassadors. This was in partnership with Rockey Africa Foundation, a community empowerment organization whose aim is to give back to society in informal areas, empowering families and sheltering the youth from the pitfalls of crime, drugs, early pregnancies, and many other vices that plague these areas.
This was Rockey Africa’s second community empowerment activity, having been to Jewell Souls Hope Foundation in Ruiru a few weeks earlier. We were privileged to join them there too and bear witness to the impact that the organization is already having on children and families in the area. Here is our account of that program.
Cross Over Basketball Ambassadors is a community initiative founded by Michael Muthama and his friend last year to impart life skills through sports, and to spread the word of God. They are both formerly competitive basketballers, hence the bias towards the game. In their empowerment activities, the duo works closely with the community including the area chief who pops by to pass her gratitude for the marked improvement in security in the area.
To learn about the basketball program from a parent’s perspective, we spoke to Tolia Ngo’nele, a mum of two young basketballers whom she comes to encourage as they play. The two, a boy and a girl aged 10 and 12 respectively, embraced the game on their own and they always attend training together on Saturdays when schools are open and every day when they are closed. They started playing last year in school, then the CBA basketball court was built near their home and the coach welcomed them. Through her children’s dedication, Tolia has since come to appreciate basketball and even learn bits of it so as to monitor their performance from the point of knowledge.
Tolia urges parents whose children are keen on sports to allow them to explore. Besides teaching them to manage their time, sports also teaches them life skills like discipline, timeliness, and teamwork, contributing immensely to their growth as well-rounded members of society. Talent also pays and young players may very well be on their way to high-paying careers in sports.
Her dream to nurture two basketballers is not without challenges, chief among them being the frequent need for specialized shoes. But through sheer will to see her children succeed in this, she manages to provide within her means.
Tolia is very grateful to Rockey Foundation and CBA for keeping the children of Kawangware and the environs occupied and purposeful. This keeps them away from the vagaries of life in informal areas that tend to push kids towards crime and other vices.
We stand with Rockey Foundation and wish them all the best as they give back to communities, saving one child at a time. The ripple effects of their efforts will me immense with time.
