As an organization that is keen to impact the youth of Kenya and beyond, sports remains to be a major pillar for us. From the first Mega Sports Festival event we had in Nairobi in 2018; 2019 events in Kitui, West Pokot, Meru and Migori and 2020 in Tana River, Baringo, Kajiado and Meru, we have seen lives transformed. In each of these events, we have continued to preach the message of values in line with our mission of Raising the moral standards among the youth through the gospel.
As an organization, we have understood that sports and sporting activity forms part of a powerful culture within the youthful population. We use sports as a tool to reach out to the youth. Besides sports being a wonderful mobilization tool, it is widely accepted by the youth and creates a level playing ground that encourages inclusivity and a sense of community.
Through sports, we have sought to create an awareness on morality and empower the youth of Kenya to define and institutionalize values (Honesty, Hard work, Self-discipline and Love) and virtues that ensure behavioral sameness and ideological similarity. It is also here where we very intentionally propagate the message of the gospel of Christ by deploying trained missionaries into the sports arenas.
Additionally, feedback from key stakeholders and partners like the Government of Kenya, church and church institutions, the media and esteemed individuals, has amplified the fact that this is a proven method of driving change in young peoples’ lives. As we say, “We play because we believe”.
Cultivating conversations, commonality and community.
This initiative is built around the art of having
In these forums, we focus on spreading empathy and hope among the youth through having important conversations (reclaiming conversations and face to face contact) and seeking to understand each other’s story. It also creates a sense of belonging and community, which have suffered alongside families and neighborhoods weakened by the internet, print/electronic/social media, entertainment and increased isolation.
Through Kikao, the Gospel is preached, youth advocacy addressed, inclusion and participation of youth cultivated and enterprise sensitization among the youth encouraged. We do this majorly in partnership with the National Youth Council who have a similar program dubbed, “Sawazisha Gumzo.”
During Kikao sessions, Spread Truth Africa also avails nutritional and fortified food which isdistributed to the attending groups. This goes into our strategy of addressing nutritional and stunting problems seen in our communities.
There is beauty in diversity. Culture in itself is diverse as we all come from different communities with different practices and beliefs. Through culture festivals, we bring together the youth to celebrate each other while promoting their talents through skits, traditional dances and fashion shows among others.
Through culture festivals, we teach the youth the importance of the preservation of cultures by helping them understand what culture is, and the role it plays in binding us all together and therefore, embracing nationhood. We also promote peace dialogues with the youth and the community to foster peaceful coexistence inter-communally, amongst peers, within their counties and across the country.
We have held 2 MEGA culture festivals in Kajiado and in Kerio Valley where it formed part of the programs during the Kerio Valley Peace Mission.
High School Ministry
High schools also carry quite a large percentage of the youthful population. Investing in today’s youth remains pivotal in helping them realize their goals and aspirations through mentorship, life skills training and passing on values. Through this program, we visit high schools for these sessions while incorporating Kikaos and sports. The program has also supported students from challenging backgrounds facing financial constraints by taking care of their school fees to keep them in school. Recently, we have reached out to about 3000 girls in Gathirimu and Kambui Girls High School in Kiambu County.