Rams in Kenya

DERBY COUNTY COMMUNITY TRUST GEARS UP FOR LANDMARK TENTH KENYA TRIP

By Jamie Morris & Tristan Best

We speak to organiser Paul Newman about the biggest Rams in Kenya journey yet… Mojatu: Give us a brief recap of the history of Rams in Kenya.

Paul: In 2010, we were approached by a company who were called Kenyan Adventures at the time, and are now called African Adventures. The model they proposed to us was that we try to recruit volunteers from our fanbase, and a percentage of what each volunteer raises is invested back into the community. We went for the first time in 2012, and we took twelve of us and knew every single one of them bar one fan. We went to a primary school and it was absolutely magical, but we came home a little bit frustrated because we wanted to do more. On the flight home, it was never a conversation of ‘Shall we go back next year?’ – it was ‘When we go back next year’.

You’re now preparing for your tenth trip. How does it feel to be approaching such a big milestone?

We’re incredibly proud. There are children that we met in the first year who are now in their early twenties and still come and visit us. There’s a lad over there who’s very special to me called Joseph, who struggles with his English, but we bonded over football. He left school and was doing construction at college, and he came back to volunteer with us and help build some classrooms. Ideally, we’d just go over there and play for two weeks because there’d be nothing left for us to do, but that’s not the case.

What kind of role does football play?

They’re like any other kids, so when you chuck a ball in the middle, all of a sudden you’ve got common ground. You don’t need a lot to play football – sometimes not even a football, because they’ve made them out of string and plastic bags. In the past, we’ve left them some proper ones and I’ve asked them to make me some to bring back to the schools in England to help raise awareness. We even played against some Maasai warriors one year. It was brilliant to see them put down what they could from their traditional gear and have a match. It’s genuinely an international language that brings people together.

What are your favourite parts about Kenya and its culture?

First and foremost, it’s a beautiful country. Driving from Nairobi to Nakuru takes about four hours, but you’ll see zebras and giraffes the way we see cows. It’s mind blowing. It’s a massive country, so there’s lots of green, and we always stop off at the Great Rift Valley, which is stunning. The second thing is that they’re just lovely, lovely people. They’re genuinely interested in why you’re there, and even if they’ve got no connections to the schools we’re visiting, they’re just grateful and so kind. I’ve got a shrine with all of the gifts we’ve been given over the years.

Let’s say someone is reading this interview and they’re thinking, ‘Okay, that sounds really good, but I don’t think I can do that’. What would you say to them?

First of all, can they cope emotionally? I still cry at everything – happy or sad – and I’ve been nine times. I’m the person who cries at the John Lewis advert. But there should be some emotional moments – and if that’s not the right environment for you, then it’s not the right trip for you. However, there’s always someone who’s been through it before, so there’s a support network there. The second question is, how can you contribute? It could be teaching, it could be DIY – we always try to help people find a little bit of potential they’ve got that they didn’t know about. But, ultimately, if you went over and brought joy to kids for two weeks, then you’re contributing something they didn’t have before. I’m conscious that it’s a big commitment, so I’m always respectful of people who can’t quite make it. My stock phrase is, ‘we go every year, so you can come back next year’, which is part of the reason we get so many numbers. This year we’re taking 84, which is the biggest group we’ve ever taken. I wanted a hundred, but that’s just my ego… Find out more at derbycountycommunitytrust.com

10 News & Sports mojatu.com HOW FOOTBALL GAMES BETWEEN PERSONS WITH ALBINISM & VITILIGO ARE HELPING FIGHT STIGMA IN KENYA

By Elizabeth Okwach

Kenya has an estimated 9,000 persons living with albinism but closely held cultural perceptions mean the condition continues to carry a deep stigma – one that these matches hope to change, writes Elizabeth Okwach for Minority Africa.

While pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Moi University in Kenya in 2008, Tom Radido noticed patches on his body. His family came up with a theory: they concluded he had stepped on ash burned during a traditional rite following the death of twins. To reverse the condition, Radido was given ash to lick, with some smeared on his face. Nothing changed. It was instead the onset of vitiligo, a skin condition affecting about 0.5 to 2% of the world’s population. It also marked the beginning of a series of discrimination against Radido. “You go for interviews and from the receptionist, no one wants to look at you twice,” he tells Minority Africa. “There is this interview that I was invited to attend, and I had not stated in my resume that I was disabled. During the interview no one dared to look me in the face, even the CEO, they asked me questions while looking down.” 30-year-old Radido is now one of nearly sixty persons who are part of Royal Patches, a group using soccer to foster the inclusion of persons living with vitiligo in Kenya. “I feel more confident, and relaxed when I am around [other persons living with vitiligo],” he says. “I am able to express myself freely, I don’t get worried that people are staring at me due to my skin patches.” One of the teams the group plays games with and against to a large audience is Black Albinism Football Club (BAFC), which is comprised entirely of people living with albinism and similar to Royal Patches is using soccer to create a safe space for persons with albinism while equally combatting widespread discrimination against them. Black Albinism Football Club was started by two people living with albinism, one of which is 26-year-old Angie Kite whose experience with discrimination began as a child when her parents neglected her and refused to pay for her education. “We called it Black Albinism because we are too ‘white’ to be Black,” Kite tells Minority Africa. “We are in a Black country, but we are ‘white.’” So far the group, which began in 2018, has organised ten games, has around 30 members, and has participated in a sporting tournament in Tanzania. The matches between BAFC and Royal Patches, which attract dozens of people, have been focal points to create community, says Kite, for both persons living with albinism and persons living with vitiligo. “The feeling of playing with other people who have a disability is so refreshing and homely. It is just a way of creating awareness in a more not worrying way,” she says. Paul Butita, who is the co-founder of BAFC and also plays on the team, said: “It is not all about the trophy or funding but our joy is when we reach out to other people,” Butita says the team has been registered with the country’s Ministry of Sports, adding that the matches have also motivated other disability-rights groups to form their football teams, such as the Little People Team created by the Short Stature Society of Kenya and which now compete against BAFC in regular tournaments. He adds, “In fact, they also motivated the Stammering Society of Kenya to form their own team.” Nonetheless, organising at this level has not come without hurdles for both teams. BAFC and Royal Patches say they have to compete for pitch slots with major soccer clubs, which forces them to use playgrounds within estates in the city. There’s also limited access to gear and football attire the teams need. Additionally, Dr Prabha Choksey, an ophthalmologist practising in Kenya and founder of Dr Choksey Albinism Foundation warns that playing under the sun can have negative effects on persons living with albinism. “They will be more prone to skin cancer,” she says. But BAFC and Royal Patches are not oblivious to this and the many other challenges that come with a game such as theirs. They seem to be skilled in adaptability. Social media has been a tool for both groups and has connected them with a portion of their audience, such as Patricia Mwangi who plays for Royal Patches and has lived with vitiligo since 2005. Mwangi found the group on Facebook and hasn’t looked back since. “Here I’ve met people who have a strong zeal and are not afraid to [show] their bodies,” she tells Minority Africa. “They would put on football attire without blinking.” “I hope we shall also start participating in international games like the Little People football team for shortstatured people,” she says. Commenting generally about the games, she adds, “I found courage – something that I didn’t have since the first patch appeared on my skin.”