Marathoner Macharia welcomes Swedish delegation on charity tour

Three-time Nagani marathon champion Isaac Macharia will this weekend host a Swedish delegation on a three-day charity tour of Kenswed Organisation, based in Ngong, Kajiado County.

Pop singer, songwriter and television presenter Måns Zelmerlöw is among the delegation from Zelmerlöw & Björkman Foundation (ZBF) partners on a mission of offering education to youth living in poverty. 

They are set to launch the Kenswed Vocational Training Centre and Kenswed Dental Clinic, projects funded by partners of ZBF Foundation.

Macharia founded the Kenswed Organisation in 2012, as a secondary school, alongside Global Relations partners led by Dr Po Hanson, Kasper Skarrie and Jonas Barman. It started with 46 students in two small classrooms. 

The ‘Fire in the Rain’ hitmaker, Zelmerlöw is a founding member of ZBF alongside former world No. 4 tennis player Jonas Björkman. 

In addition to the launch, there will be visits to Kenswed alumni working in and around Karen town and home visits to current students. 

 "I am convinced that we all have something valuable to offer humanity. Our time, knowledge, talents, acts of compassion and love, no matter how small, will have a significant impact in the lives of others. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, humanity faced an existential threat, with the poor suffering the most. Everyone was fighting for their own existence with inequality in vaccine distribution and access. 

One wondered, are there no good leaders and people in this world to listen to the plight of the poor? Then I was reminded, we have good people amongst us. 

Individuals, who founded and are sponsors of Kenswed Organisation. They have turned their privileges to a burden of helping the underprivileged, who they do not know and will never meet,"Macharia, a seasoned marathon runner and pacemaker, said.  

According to programs manager Skarrie, Kenswed Vocational Training College started about two years ago and seeks to offer secondary school graduates skills to help them secure a livelihood. 

The Centre is also a hub for changing the mindset of the youth to believe in themselves and their ability to change the community.

Kenswed has, over the years, grown to incorporate a secondary school, a hospital, a dental unit, a vocational training center, a girls’ empowerment programme and offers university scholarships for bright and needy students.

ZBF foundation has invested heavily in Kenswed Organisation to see it grow to what it is today.