The team behind the RAF Shawbury based 'Taking Football to Africa and Beyond appeal', with representatives of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and KitAid have began making football shirt deliveries in Nairobi, Kenya. The team, Squadron Leader Neil Hope and Senior Aircraftsmen Ben Burton, from RAF Shawbury, Dave Queen, from Thomas Adams School, in Wem, Mark Robson, from his fathers Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Derrick Williams and Sally Howe from KitAid have visited 2 schools distributing shirts donated by Newcastle fans in memorial to Sir Bobby, and from Coast Soccer FC in Whitley Bay. In addition they also distributed some t-shirts and scarves donated by the Engalnd 2018 Bid team.
The first delivery was at the Kibagare Good News Centre, which sits in a slum township with no running water, sewerage or electricity. The centre houses St Martins Nursery and Primary school and also a girls Secondary School. The centre is run by Sister Leah Wambui Kimani. The children at the centre come from an area of 5km from the school and are mainly from Kibagare slums. The children are taught and fed, twice a day, at the school. The current cost for each child is 500 Kenyan schillings per 4 months, which is effectively £4 each. At present there are 500 Primary children and 185 Secondary Girls, with class sizes of around 40. The centre also allows other children in on a Saturday to be fed and they regularly feed 1500 children and it also houses a small chemists dispensary and laboratory. The team distributed 2 large boxes of football kits. It was a fantastic sight for Mark Robson, on behalf of his fathers foundation to see so many underprivileged children wearing the famous black and white stripes.
The team also delivered to the Huruma Township and the Kenya Muslim Academy. The schools at Eastlands sits in a 3 square km slum area with a population of close on 800,000. The majority of the population is Muslim. The school houses 240 children in classes of up to 40 ranging from nursery and primary to Secondary boys. After a tour of the school by its Director, Adan Saman Sheikh, the team distributed a box of football shirts, football cards and stationary.
The team is in Kenya for one week distributing over 2300 items. On Wednesday the team will visit schools in the towns of Gilgil and Naivisha, north of Nairobi before visitng other schools in the capital including some in one of Africas largest slum towns, Kibera, later in the week.
The trip has been organised by Squadron Leader Neil Hope, through his RAF based 'Taking Football to Africa and beyond appeal with the assistance of Warrant Officer 1 Wayne Charley of the British High Commission in Nairobi.