Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Lara Vogel and Claire Williams had spent eight months travelling around the world. They had been to Egypt, Russia, Cambodia, and Spain. Their travels were almost finished. But they wanted to do one more thing. They wanted to climb a mountain in Kenya.
Voice 2
But first, they had to prepare for this climb. So they decided to rest and recover at the Tumaini Children’s Centre. The Tumaini Children’s Centre is a home for children. These children are orphans - their parents have died of AIDS. Over 170 children live at the Centre. The children are from 5 to 22 years old.
Voice 1
Lara and Claire were amazed by what they saw.
Voice 3
“We had never seen a place so devoted to community building and well-being. We had experience in many different non-profit organizations. We knew the real thing when we saw it. The Tumaini Children’s home is only a few years old. But they have created something amazing. The children are happy and have a sense of humour. Clearly, the community has invested love and care into the Centre.”
Voice 2
The Tumaini Children’s Centre was already providing a healthy and safe environment for children. There, they could learn, grow and be a success. The community had started the Centre to care for the many children without caregivers. And the Centre was successful because of the community. But Lara and Claire wanted to get involved too. They wanted to do something more. They wanted to do something different.
Voice 1
Kenya is known for producing first-class distance runners. In 2007, a Kenyan runner placed first in major marathons in Boston, London, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. Often, Kenyan runners filled the top ten places!
Voice 2
Lara and Claire had found what they could do to help the children. They could teach the children of Tumaini how to run. Lara and Claire did not have much running experience in the beginning. But they would not let this lack of experience stop them. This was the beginning of a new program called Hope Runs.
Voice 1
Because the children of Tumaini do not have a lot of money, running shoes are very rare. Lara and Claire knew that this was one way they could help the young runners. While developing Hope Runs, Lara and Claire returned to the United States. As they got ready to return to Kenya, they gathered running shoes from a local running store. These shoes have become treasures to the children. They wash them with care. Many of the children wear them to church. It helps the children to be proud of themselves.
Voice 2
But running shoes are just the beginning of Lara and Claire’s work. Hope Runs operates within the Tumaini Children’s Centre. Four days a week Lara and Claire lead the children on runs. Many of the children are preparing for the Hope Runs ten kilometre race. But some of the children work toward running longer races. The children learn about stretching, drinking enough water, and even take part in time trials.
Voice 1
Why running? Lara and Claire answer,
Voice 3
“Running is so important for mental and physical health. At Hope Runs, we have loved seeing the influence running has had on the children’s lives. They do better in school and have less behavioural problems. And there has been a marked increase in sense of self-worth among the girls in our programs.”
Voice 2
Running is the beginning of the program, but it is not the end. Hope Runs does more than just teach running. It also develops skills that help the children make a lasting change in their lives.
Voice 1
Some skills have included making things, writing, and learning to use technology. The program considers the natural skills of the children. Every person can do something well - these skills are very important to living well. And they are important in a community! The children see this in the community support for the Tumaini Centre. They see how important every person is!
Voice 2
Hope Runs also works to connect the children with people around the world. One way they do this is through a website. On this website, the children can write about their lives, their running, or ask questions of people around the world. One girl writes -
Voice 4
“My name is Dorcas. I live in Tumaini Children’s Home. I am eleven years old. I am happy when I am in Tumaini. I enjoy playing with my friends and learning. We live in peace at Tumaini. We love one another. I pray every day when I am going to bed. I like to run every day and I live to learn. My favourite subject is mathematics, English, and social studies. I like to study all the time. May God bless our home Tumaini. May God bless my hands so that I am able to work hard.”
Voice 1
People from all around the world can answer a question or offer a comment of support. In many of the comments, people encourage the children to keep running, writing and working toward a better life.
Voice 2
A woman named Kim responded to the blog this way,
Voice 5
“Thank you for sharing. That was so beautiful. You are a skilled writer. Keep writing! I live all the way in the United States, in the state of Florida, and your words touched me. I hope you feel our prayers from across the world!”
Voice 1
The Hope Runs program has been a success. It has been expanded to another Children’s Centre in Kenya and two in Tanzania. Lara and Claire are always open to starting another branch in a new country.
Voice 2
It would have been easy for them to return home. They could have forgotten about the children of Tumaini Centre. But they did not forget. They refused to forget.
Voice 1
Lara and Claire did climb the mountain on their first visit to the Tumaini Children’s Centre. What they did was much more difficult. They took a chance on making the world a better place.
Voice 2
The writer of this program was Adam Navis. The producer was Joshua Leo. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes have been adapted for this program. This program is called “Hope Runs.”
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