Heinz and Narmada followed an invitation by Tegla Loroupe to visit the Tegla Loroupe Peace Academy in Kapenguria on the occasion of the 3rd Tegla Loroupe Peace Races on 18th November 2006.
On 25th May 2005 330 pupils organised a sponsor run at the lake of Bodensee (Switzerland) in Uttwil in order to collect money for the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation. 2/3 of the money was sent to Tegla’s school for orphans to build with that money one class-room. With the rest of the money school-material, sport-equipment and toys will be sent to Kenya.
On 15th November we arrived with a first delivery in Kenya. We had 120 lbs of goods with us, when we arrived at the Nairobi International Airport. We transported toys, school-books, and pens for about 350 children.
We were heartedly welcomed by the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation. Eunice, the Kenyan wife of Tegla’s German coach had organised that we were picked up and driven to our hotel in the van of Rodgers Rop, the marathon-champion, who had won in the same year both the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon.
Three days later in Kapenguria (West Pokot) was the 4th Tegla Loroupe Peace Race organised. Not only a race for the talented runners from the area in the categories elite men and elite women, there was also a category called “warriors” for young men from Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia. Men who used to fight normally each other with arms.
Start of the mens Peace Race 2006
Tegla had invited international quests that had come from the USA, Europe and South Africa. There was for example Elena Meyer, the 10.000 m-silver medallist from the Olympics in Barcelona, former competitor of Tegla; she was now here to support Tegla’s Peace work in Africa.
The races are organised by the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, which was founded by Tegla in 2003, who has vowed to use her track and field achievements, skills and friends to promote peaceful coexistence and socio-economic development of poor pastoralists in the greater horn region of Africa. The main purpose of the Foundation is to support and further initiatives that promote conflict resolution, peace building and poverty reduction initiatives.
The Tegla Loroupe Peace Academy is a model school being constructed by Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation with assistance from various donors.It will act as a peace building institution bringing children from various communities to learn together under the same roof in peaceful environment.
The Academy consists of a Primary and Secondary Boarding School, A Dispensary. The construction of the Primary school started in summer 2005 and should be finished by the end of 2008.
We distributed one part of the gifts to poor children and orphans from the area where the Peace Academy will be build.
The rest was distributed at the Rhein-Valley hospital
(more info under www.rhein-valley-hospital.com)
Narmada und Heinz distribute the gifts from the Swiss Kids in Kenya
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