Over 80% of Kenyans are under 35, and Tsavora Fencers offers successful programs for at-risk youth.
According to the 2019 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics population and census figures, almost 75% of Kenya’s entire population is under 35 years old.
Additionally, it is anticipated that these numbers will rise with time. But Kenya’s youthful population is also a growing source of issues for the local administration.
Because there are few jobs available, most young people engage in drug usage, criminal activity, and street violence.
A former gangster by the name of Mburu Wanyoike is striving hard to make sure that Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, offers its young people a better option than street violence.
After being an athlete, Wanyoike is currently a coach for the Kenyan National Fencing Team. In an effort to keep the kids occupied and off the streets, he founded a group called Tsavora Fencers.
A new love and passion have been found by the at-risk youngsters with the Tsavora Fencing Club.
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Even though the club lacks the essential equipment and the adolescents sometimes struggle to obtain it, they manage to keep themselves occupied after school, and some of them even play for the Kenyan national team.
Coach Wanyoike encourages his kids to be resilient in the face of adversity and, rather than dwelling on their flaws, encourages them to pursue their sport with “enthusiasm and obsession.”
The club members even have bouts on a daily basis on the city’s streets, looking dapper in their white uniforms as they skillfully parry and thrust.
The Good News Network reports that this activity has had a significant positive influence on young teenagers by helping them avoid negativity and violence.
Tsavora students Allen Grace, 16, and Jemimah Njeri, 17, reaffirmed the above as the club helps them use their leisure time, which is after school and other household chores, in a positive way.
Grace and Njeri said that before joining the club, they were not in the best of company and that they had witnessed several of their female friends become pregnant.
Wanyoike stated to Africa News that being a criminal eventually causes one to feel alone and unhappy. He resorted to fencing as a way out of this way of life.
Even nevertheless, when club members compete in international tournaments, it becomes more challenging for them to win against other nations, since they are better organized and function professionally.
Wanyoike advises his pupils to overcome their lack of equipment by utilizing their enthusiasm and passion for the sport.
Tsavora Fencing offers a program called Tsavora Fencing Mtaani that provides fencing instruction and mentorship to young people living in these disadvantaged communities, protecting them from the hazards in their surroundings.
With forty-five players, the majority of whom are students, the club is a ray of hope for the neighborhood.