From talent to opportunity: How sports investment is helping athletes fly beyond Kenya
Kenyan athletes, such as volleyball captain Meldinah Sande, are benefiting from increased government investment in sports, including scholarships and better facilities. These initiatives are providing career paths and international exposure for youth from diverse backgrounds.
Why it matters
It illustrates how state-sponsored sports programs can serve as a vehicle for social mobility and national development in emerging economies.
Malkia Strikers captain Meldina Sande celebrates with teammates /HANDOUT
For Meldinah Sande, volleyball is much more than a game.
The sport has reshaped her dreams, given her wings beyond Kenya’s borders, earned her the chance to perform at the highest level, and given her the weight of national aspirations and hopes.
The Malkia Strikers captain, who wears Kenya Prisons team colours at club level, has spent the past two seasons in Kigali boosting the fortunes of Rwanda Police.
Her journey shows what sport can offer Kenyan youth when talent meets opportunity — a career, exposure, livelihood, a chance to inspire loads of talented youth, and to hoist national pride.
Sande is among a growing number of athletes who admit government support has begun to make a real difference in their lives.
The backing might be in fits and bursts, but she believes it's worth recognition.
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