Volleyball Foundation
Celebrating the first anniversary of the Volleyball Foundation through the lens of its first supported projects
As the FIVB Volleyball Foundation celebrates its first anniversary, it continues its spotlight on the pioneering projects that are supported. In this second story of the series, we turn our attention to Kenya, and speak with Samuel Gacharira, a pioneer of the Githurai Kimbo Volleyball Academy (GKA) that has become a beacon of hope, transformation and opportunity.
Dedicated to serving and empowering youth, the academy provides a safe haven in Githurai, Kenya through the sport of volleyball. It aims to nurture talent, impart life skills and offer quality education to both boys and girls in the local community.
- What does it mean to you that your project was one of the two pilot projects supported by the Volleyball Foundation?
It’s certainly a big honour for Githurai Kimbo Academy to be selected as one of the two pilot projects supported by the Volleyball Foundation. We are grateful to the Volleyball Foundation in recognising us and supporting GKA’s efforts to inspire the children of Githurai, giving them hope for a better future, by providing opportunities through volleyball.
- What kind of impact has the VF support had on the lives of people involved in your project so far?
The support of the Volleyball Foundation has come at the right time for GKA. Before the Foundation’s support, we could only secure four to five education scholarships with local schools, through relying on the goodwill of the schools that we were partnering with. However, with the Foundation’s support we were able to admit 31 children on scholarship this year, about eight times the previous number!
- What kind of impact has your project had on the Githurai/Assam community since you started getting VF support?
Since the Volleyball Foundation began supporting us, the Githurai community has become even more engaged and supportive of the Githurai Kimbo Volleyball Academy. The effect has been significant: parents and members of the local community have become our strongest ambassadors, actively promoting the academy. Their personal testimonials have highlighted how the academy is transforming the lives of local children.
As a result, we have seen substantial growth. Over 60 children were recruited during the April school holidays alone, reflecting increased community trust and interest. These new members come from within a wider radius too, showing that the academy’s positive impact and reputation are spreading across the local area.
- If you could describe your collaboration with the Volleyball Foundation in one word, what would it be and why?
A miracle! This is because when we started Githurai Kimbo Academy, our mission was simple – to inspire the next generation of children from Githurai through volleyball. We never imagined that one day we would reach a point of getting support from the Volleyball Foundation, let alone being one of the first projects that they supported. It’s truly a blessing.
- What advice would you give to other project leaders hoping to start similar initiatives and get support from VF?
The best advice I can give to project leaders is to start small and now! Don’t wait for the perfect moment, start with what you have and along the way things will align in your favour. The most important thing is to ensure that bringing positive change in society remains your guiding principle because you can never go wrong with that. When you stay focused and have the right intention, partners such as the Volleyball Foundation will see!
- Where do you see your project in the short term and long term future now that VF is supporting you?
We are just getting started and with the kind of guidance and support we are receiving from Volleyball Foundation staff, I hope that GKA will be a Gold Level Volleyball Foundation project in five years’ time, where we can receive continued support to empower our local community. We want to improve the lives of children and families from Githurai Kimbo and beyond.
Our short-term goal is to ensure that the population of the academy continues to grow.
In the long-term, we hope that GKA will be the hub of volleyball talent in Kenya, and that Githurai will be known for its positive influence through sport.
At GKA, we believe we can improve and empower volleyball players but we can also enhance professional skills in other fields such as finance, medicine, marketing, administration, coaching etc.
Follow us on Instagram here as we continue to reflect on the first year of the Volleyball Foundation, and speak to the projects being supported.
