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'Participating in this training was like a dream come true'
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Passion for media helps young Kenyan attend BBC World Service Trust training during the East Africa Cup.

Passionate youth growing up in Nairobi slum

Kennedy Njuguna grew up in Huruma, Nairobi, a slum where “living conditions are hard, and the crime rate is very high.” Despite this challenging environment, Kennedy developed an early passion for video and editing.

When Kennedy realised he couldn’t afford to join a renowned video editing school after graduating, he studied electronics instead. But his passion for the media would keep him busy during most of his spare time.

Joining CHRISC Kenya thanks to table tennis
Table tennis was another passion of Kennedy’s during his early years in Huruma. This passion was going to lead him to CHRISC Kenya, a non-profit organisation aiming to address social challenges through sport in Eastern Africa.

“My sister talked to me about this organisation, and strongly suggested I should get in touch with their team. Quite by chance, they were in the process of setting up a table tennis programme, so I was able to join their team.”

But even acting as a CHRISC volunteer, his passion for video simply wouldn’t disappear: “back in my mind, I still had this passion for video editing. I remember checking online tutorials about how to edit videos, and kept improving my skills on my own.”

“Joining this media training was like a dream come true”
So a year ago, when Kennedy was invited by the BBC World Service Trust to take part in a media training as part of the East Africa Cup, he was unable to hide his excitement: “when this opportunity was announced to me, I felt like God had answered my prayers, and I felt extremely happy.”

He thus took part in the media training during the 2010 edition of the East Africa Cup and made the most of this occasion to gain precious media skills. As a result, Kennedy believes he has significantly contributed to the media activities carried out by CHRISC Kenya, noting that “we’re now in a better position to create our own promotional videos and share them with others.”

The BBC World Service Trust trains African youth during the East Africa Cup
This year, more than 40 media-savvy participants have joined the BBC World Service Trust during the East Africa Cup. These are either journalists or communication officers involved in organisations using sport as a way to address social issues.

And once again, nothing would prevent Kennedy from joining the 2011 edition of the training. At the end of the first day of the training, he sees plenty of room for improvement, and reckons this opportunity will “help CHRISC Kenya show what we do to within the entire country and beyond.” Based on the path already accomplished, there is no doubt Kennedy will lack sufficient motivation to help CHRISC Kenya reach this objective.

For more information, visit the sportanddev.org section dedicated entirely to the East Africa Cup.

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