Tuesday this week was, if you missed it, Universal Childrens’ Day. A United Nations designated day “to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children.” Which gives us an opportunity to showcase the Hunslet Club’s twinned partnership with a similar youth club to ourselves on the other side of the world in the Obunga district of Kisumu, Kenya
For the last four years we have raised funds through our annual golf tournament to help develop the Kuungana Tunaweza Youth Club which simularly to the Hunslet Club provides activities to help children and young people to reach their full potential through vocational learning, sport, arts and leisure programmes.
Hunslet Club Chief Executive Dennis Robbins travelled to Kenya with a local businessman who is generously funding many of the Kisumu clubs’ costs and is keen to both raise funds and share expertise with his counterparts in the African nation. “The spirit of these kids being brought up in a very different world to ours was inspirational and they really deserve the opportunities to enjoy sports, learn skills and have fun in the same way that we do here” said Dennis.
This year our golf tournament raised almost £2,200 which makes a huge difference to the lives of children and young people over there. Over time we have helped to fund their building and equipment costs for play and education, staffing including sport and dance coach costs and much more. So we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has ever supported this event. (Next year it is on Friday July 26th if you’d like to put it in your diary)
The work we help with in Kenya is organised by the Waterside Charitable Trust, a Yorkshire based charity helping the people of this community. Check out their website and see their video below, which includes images of the youth club and its work, they welcome all new supporters of what they are trying to achieve.
As well as raising funds and providing long distance advice to develop their club, we hope in the future to be able to set up some cultural exchanges between ourselves and our counterparts over there. If anyone is interested helping us to facilitate that do get in touch at friends@hunsletclub.org.uk
