Today is our last day with the refugee athletes training at the Nairobi camp. But we'll be staying in touch and keeping an eye on their progress toward the ultimate goal - the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. And we'll keep you updated, too. These are remarkable young people making some incredible progress. Before arriving at the camp, many of them never trained formally or had any coaching. Now they're competing on international stages, running with athletes who've been doing it for years. “Running promises peace and it gives you courage," James told us. James is a member of the team, a refugee from South Sudan. "For refugees, to get to the Olympics, it takes courage. It is not easy. They consider us as a human being (at the Rio Olympics).” Before we left, we wanted to make what was, perhaps, the simplest change in our time with the team. Meal time was often a challenge at the camp. The cook prepares one evening meal for the athletes, but not everyone is around when dinner … [Read more...] about Setting the Table

On Day 239, we wanted to make sure the refugee athletes training for the Olympics at the camp in Nairobi had all of the raw material they need to succeed. They work so hard each and every day - in school and in training. "I want to be a champion," said Brenda, who lived alone in Kakuma refugee camp before coming to the Nairobi training camp. "I train hard to carry my brothers and sisters in the camp (Kakuma). We have refugees all over the world. We can do anything like anyone." The refugee athletes are determined to succeed. So, on Day 239 we wanted to make sure they had their bodies working optimally, so they could get their best results. So, we brought them their vitamins. Vitamin C and Calcium for all of the athletes. Having the proper vitamins is crucial for everyone - but it's especially important for athletes training and competing at such a high level. We also delivered oils and creams for post-workout massages. The team has a massage bed, and the coach attends to the … [Read more...] about Take Your Vitamins

Athletes at the Refugee Olympic training camp in Nairobi arrived there from refugee camps throughout East Africa. They were discovered by the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation and came to live with other young people who showed a gift, great athletic potential. Together, they train and compete - their ultimate goal is the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. But the Peace Foundation is thinking long-term. Maybe some of these athletes will make a life from sport - most will need some other livelihood. But they're all at different stages in their education. So, while these young people are in their care, the foundation is making sure they continue their education through secondary school graduation. When they're not in school, they're training. When they're not training they're in school. But something they don't get in school is time to build their computer skills. So, on Day 237, we decided to do something about that and deliver two desktop computers, complete with monitors, keyboards and … [Read more...] about Some Screen Time

Most of the young Olympic hopefuls training at the camp run by the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation in Nairobi didn't arrive there by any traditional paths. Normally, an athlete working toward the Olympics would have years of experience training and working with different coaches, physical trainers, and others. By that time, they'd know a lot about how to care for their bodies, including attending to their injuries. But these refugee athletes were discovered in refugee camps. Many never had any coaches at all, never competed or participated formally in any kind of athletic system. So, they missed some of the lessons others competing on an international stage would have picked up. First aid and caring for injuries was one of those skills (also, see Day 233 and the new freezer) So, on Day 236, we started by getting 3 first aid kits for the Refugee Olympic team. They didn't have any first aid materials to begin with - so we purchased one kit for them to take along to their training … [Read more...] about Taking Care

On Day 235, we're back in Nairobi where 43 young refugee athletes are training to be a part of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Competing on international stages, the athletes want to look their best. So, leading up to a big competition they'd head out into Nairobi to have their hair cut or styled. But it cost them from what little money they had, and they knew they could have done it just as well themselves - with the right tools. So, we decided to put the grooming power in their hands. At their request, we went out and purchased shavers for the male athletes and blow dryers for the girls. When we arrived back with the gear, everyone was really excited - especially the guys. It turned out that one of the male athletes gives good haircuts, so everyone was making their appointments with the new camp barber. The men looked carefully over the shavers, the different attachments and the care instructions. Brenda, one of the female athletes was happy, "finally we can do our own … [Read more...] about Blow & Cut

The reason Changemakers 365 exists is to do the doable - to do what needs to happen, right then in that particular moment, regardless of your plan. Day 234 at the Refugee Olympian training site was one of those days. When our team arrived at the camp we learned that there was a shortage of food. Kenya had recently held elections, and some of the protests and aftermath following the elections had slowed down services around the country. As a result, the regular food deliveries had not been made to the camp and they had almost run out. So we put our other projects on hold to make sure there was enough food for the 43 athletes who live at the Nairobi training camp run by the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation. The cook - who prepares all of the athletes' meals - gave us a list of what he needed: maize and wheat flours, cooking oils, sugar, rice, tea, and baking powder. We headed to the store and returned a couple of hours later with everything he requested plus some sponges, … [Read more...] about The Staples

The refugee athletes in Nairobi are Olympic hopefuls. They've come from far away refugee camps to this single site to train and see if they can make their dreams happen. Training 6 days a week - to compete at an international level - takes a toll on the body. And quick recovery is crucial if an athlete is to continue building and progressing. Things like massage, plenty of good sleep (see Day 231 & Day 232) and ice and heat for aching muscles and injuries can make a big difference helping athletes get back out there every day. When we heard there was no ice at the training camp, that sounded like a doable project we could take on. On Day 233, we brought a deep freezer to the camp. It wasn't something that anyone had a lot of experience with. "What's a freezer? How does it work?" said Paolo, one of the refugee team members. Most of the athletes came to the training camp from refugee camps where electricity was probably spotty or not available. There definitely weren't … [Read more...] about Ice, Ice, Baby

A nap in the sun can be glorious, to be sure. But a bed of grass is not where we want to spend most of our sleeping hours. We want a soft place to rest our heads, and covers to keep us warm. So, on Day 232, we got busy making our beds. Yesterday, we delivered new beds to the camp in Nairobi, Kenya where refugee youth are training for the Olympics and other big international competitions. Many of the athletes had been sharing beds. Finding blankets and mattresses was easy, but the sheets presented a bit of a challenge. We had been asked to purchase bedding that matched all the other sheets at camp. But try as we might, we couldn't find the match. Instead, we picked up some dark blue sheets with the same pattern and headed back to put the finishing touches to the beds. Rather than returning to disappointment, we found some of the male athletes really excited about the darker sheets. "These have gotta be for the guys," one of them told us. "We can sleep on them for a month … [Read more...] about Mattresses, and sheets, and pillows…oh my!

In Rio last summer, they ran away with our hearts. We're talking about the Refugee Olympic team - a team of athletes, each one of whom defied all of the odds to compete in the XXXI Olympiad. A year later and under the patronage of Tegla Loroupe and the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, these athletes and several more are keeping the dream alive. 43 refugee youth live together and train together at a camp in Nairobi. Forget what you think you know about an Olympic training camp. These athletes walk several kilometers back and forth to the track where they train, and they don't have any fancy equipment. In fact, they're missing some really basic items. And so, starting on Day 231, we wanted to help these world-class athletes get some simple things that will help them make their dreams come true. One of the things that helps you be at the top of your game each day - whoever you are - is a good night's sleep. So when we learned that some of these athletes were sleeping two to a … [Read more...] about The Refugee Olympians