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Posts tagged as “Kenya”

90-Year-Old Kenyan Woman Priscilla Sitienei Goes To School, Learns To Read And Write Alongside Great-Great-Grandkids

By goodblacknews on January 27, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-01-27 at 8.51.34 PM
A 90-year-old woman is going to school to learn skills that she never had the opportunity to acquire when she was younger.
Priscilla Sitienei has been attending Leaders Vision Preparatory School in her village of Ndalat, Kenya, for the past five years according to BBC News. Sitienei didn’t have the chance to learn how to read and write, but is finally doing so now.
The 90-year-old, who goes to school with six of great-great-grandchildren, says she has some big goals.
“I’d like to be able to read the Bible,” Sitienei, whose classmates are between the ages of 11 and 14, told BBC News. “I also want to inspire children to get an education.”
Sitienei’s school day is just like any other student’s at the prep school, BBC News reported. She wears the school uniform to classes, and takes math, English, physical education, dance, drama and singing. She also lives in one of the campus dormitories, where she rooms with one of her great-great-grandchildren.
Her commitment to learning has made her a role model for the students.
“Gogo has been a blessing to this school, she has been a motivator to all the pupils,” David Kinyanjui, the school’s principal, told BBC News, using Sitinei’s nickname which means “grandmother” in the local Kalenjin language. “She is loved by every pupil, they all want to learn and play with her.”
The 90-year-old, who served as a midwife in her village for several decades, wants her story to spur others to take another chance at getting an education.

Kenyans Rita Jeptoo and Eliud Kipchoge Win 2014 Chicago Marathon

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2014
CHICAGO MARATHON 2014
CHICAGO (AP) — Kenyans ruled the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, with Eliud Kipchoge leading a 1-2-3 men’s sweep and compatriot Rita Jeptoo repeating as the women’s winner.
Kipchoge pulled away over the last two miles for his first major marathon victory, finishing in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 11 seconds. He was followed by Sammy Kitwara in 2:04:28 and Dickson Chumba in 2:04:32.
Jeptoo was timed in 2:24:35 in winning her fourth straight major marathon. She also captured the 2013-14 World Marathon Majors points championship and took the Boston Marathon in April.
Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia (2:25:37) was second and Florence Kiplagat of Kenya (2:25:57) was third.
The winners earned $100,000. Jeptoo receives an extra $500,000 for winning the series championship.
Ideal conditions – sunny skies and 46-degree temperatures – greeted runners at the start. The men’s pack stayed together for about 20 miles before Kipchoge, Kitwara and Chumba drew away.
Kipchoge and Kitwara were side by side with Chumba right behind after 24 miles. But Kipchoge made it look easy down the stretch. He made a quick burst and was in command as he headed toward the finish at Grant Park.
Jeptoo hasn’t lost a major marathon since she finished second in a sprint to Ethiopia’s Atsede Baysa in the 2012 Chicago Marathon. She smashed the course record to repeat as Boston Marathon champion in the spring and came away with an easy victory in Chicago for the second straight year.
She pulled away after 23 miles, with no one near her at the end. Jeptoo raised her arms as she crossed the line and sank to her knees.
article by Andrew Seligman via huffingtonpost.com

Kenyan Dennis Kimetto Sets World Marathon Record of 2:02:57 in Berlin

By goodblacknews on September 28, 2014
Dennis Kimetto

Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto has broken the marathon world record in Berlin, winning the race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 57 seconds.

The 30-year-old shook off fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai with just under three miles remaining to become the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours and three minutes.
Mutai, who finished second in 2:03:13, also broke the previous record.
“I feel good because I won a very tough race,” said Kimetto.
“I felt good from the start and in the last few miles I felt I could do it and break the record.”

Men’s marathon world record decade-by-decade
Year Time Athlete Course
1947 2:25.39 Suh Yun-bok (Korea) Boston
1958 2:15.17 Sergei Popov (Soviet Union) Stockholm
1969 2:08.33 Derek Clayton (Australia) Antwerp
1988 2:06.50 Belayneh Dinsamo (Ethiopia) Rotterdam
1999 2:05.42 Khalid Khannouchi (Morocco) Chicago
2008 2:03.59 Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) Berlin
2014 2:02.57 Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) Berlin

The previous world record had been set on the same course 12 months ago by Kimetto’s compatriot Wilson Kipsang, who ran 2:03:23.

Kimetto, who won marathons in Tokyo and Boston last year, had promised to attack the record in Berlin if conditions allowed.
And in weather perfect for long-distance running, with temperatures around eight degrees centigrade, Kimetto kept his promise, staying in the lead group throughout and sprinting to victory and a new world’s best time.
Mutai, meanwhile, believes a two-hour marathon is possible.
“From what I saw today, times are coming down and down. So if not today, then tomorrow,” the 29-year-old Kenyan said. “Maybe next time we’ll get 2:01.”
Mutai had run the fastest marathon in history in 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011, but it did not count as a world record because the course is considered too straight and downhill.
article via bbc.com

Kenyan Firm Turns Discarded Flip-flops into Art

By goodblacknews on February 10, 2014
Flip-flop art
Flip-flop art manufactured by Ocean Sole.

What do you do with a pair of old flip-flops? Not an idle question as the planet produces billions of pairs of non-biodegradable pairs every year.  But now a Kenyan biologist turned businesswoman has at least a partial solution. Julie Church‘s artisan manufacturing company, Ocean Sole, turned about 50 tons of dirty, discarded and damaged flip-flops into animal ornaments and jewellery in 2013. She anticipates doubling that amount this year, and will pay 25p per kilo to whoever brings them in.

In Kenya, where plastic flip-flops cost a dollar, beaches are littered not just with broken and battered domestic varieties but with flip-flops from all over the world. Branded flip-flops turn up on Kenya’s east-facing shoreline from the Middle East, South Asia and Australasia.  Ocean Sole is Church’s private sector attempt to educate consumers and producers alike. Sales have tripled in the last year and it is reaching a global market supplying some of the world’s most famous zoos and aquariums. “Their shops are usually full of stuff that is so bad for the environment,” Church says.
See Picture Gallery of More Flip Flop Art
The UN estimates that every square mile of ocean hosts nearly 50,000 pieces of plastic. “When someone says they’re throwing something away, where is away?” Church says. When plastic is concerned, “away” often equates to ending up in one of the worlds rivers or oceans. Kenyan paleontologist Louise Leakey once warned that the legacy of our era on earth would be a layer of subcutaneous plastic.

Andrew Mupuya Builds Successful Paper Bag Company in Uganda from $14 Start

By goodblacknews on January 26, 2014
Andrew Mupuya is the founder of Uganda's first registered paper bag company. Youth Entrepreneurial Link Investments (YELI) is supplying restaurants, supermarkets and medical centers in Kampala.

Award-winning entrepreneur Andrew Mupuya was just 16 years old when he decided to take on the world.  That was back in 2008, when both of Mupuya’s parents had lost their jobs and could only afford to cover his school fees. “I had to get to meet my basic needs by myself,” remembers the Ugandan businessman. “I decided to face the world alone.”
Inadvertently, the government of Uganda came to Mupuya’s aid. At the time, officials in the country announced that they were considering a ban on plastic bags to curb environmental damage. Mupuya, who was still in secondary school, immediately saw this as an opportunity to launch a paper bag production company.  “I conducted a feasibility study, market research around retail shops, kiosks, supermarkets around Kampala and discovered there is need and potential market for paper bags.”
To start out his small operation, Mupuya figured out he needed a capital of 36,000 Ugandan shillings ($14). He raised the first $11 from selling 70 kilos of used plastic bottles he’d collected over one week. Mupuya then borrowed the remaining $3 from his school teacher and embarked on his entrepreneurial journey producing paper bags on a small scale.  Since then, the business has grown extensively and today, at the age of 21, Mupuya is the owner of Youth Entrepreneurial Link Investments (YELI), the first registered Ugandan company to make paper bags.

"12 Years A Slave" Actress Lupita Nyong'o Stars In Miu Miu Spring 2014 Campaign

By goodblacknews on January 12, 2014

lupita nyongo miu miu
Lupita Nyong’o is popping up everywhere — and we love it!  The 12 Years A Slave star has now landed a major fashion campaign.  Miu Miu has tapped the Kenyan beauty along with actresses Elle Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen and Bella Heathcote for its Spring 2014 campaign. The images were shot by Inez & Vinoodh, as Nyong’o sported the Italian fashion brand’s signature quirky, bold threads.
“The actresses’ poses, full of personality, convey their diverse points of view, effortlessly translating the new spirit of the Miu Miu woman,” the brand stated.  But the Golden Globe-nominated actress isn’t letting her style star status go to her head. “Being considered a fashion star is wonderful,” she told USA Today. “It’s definitely a bonus thing. It was in no way my agenda when I started.”
article via huffingtonpost.com

San Jose State University Crowns First Black Homecoming King And Queen

By goodblacknews on October 27, 2013
black homecoming king queen
Daniel Harris-Lucas and Diana Busaka | Brandon Chew, San Jose State University
California’s oldest university just named its first black homecoming king and queen.  Seniors Daniel Harris-Lucas and Diana Busaka were crowned Thursday night at San Jose State University, beating out 22 other applicants who all submitted a nomination, two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a resumé and news clips about them.  “It’s a great accomplishment,” Harris-Lucas told NBC Bay Area. “But it’s probably overdue. I’m glad to be part of history. But this probably should have happened years ago.”
SJSU first caught national attention at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, when two of its students, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, placed in the 200 meter race and raised their black-gloved fists in the iconic black power salute. A statue of them stands on the SJSU campus today.  While the homecoming judging panel noted that there has been an black queen before, this is the first year there has been a couple.  Occupational therapy major Busaka was born in Kenya and public relations major Harris-Lucas grew up in foster care and has mentored youth in Oakland.
article by Lydia O’Connor via huffingtonpost.com

Kenya Native Dennis Kimetto Sets Course Record With Chicago Marathon Win

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2013

 

Dennis Kimetto sets Course Record in 2013 Chicago Marathon
Dennis Kimetto sets Course Record in 2013 Chicago Marathon

Dennis Kimetto of Kenya set a course record Sunday as he took first in the 2013 Chicago Marathon, his second marathon win of the year.  Kimetto beat the previous record of 2:04:23 with 2:03:45, according to unofficial times.  Kimetto and Emmanuel Mutai were neck-and-neck until the last half-mile when Kimetto broke out front.  “I am happy because I broke the course record,” Kimetto said. “The [race] conditions were very good.”
Kimetto came to Chicago with a 2013 marathon win already under his belt. He took first in this year’s Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:06:50, which set a course record for the race, just his second marathon to date.  During his first marathon, in Berlin last September, he crossed the finish just one second behind the winner.
Kimetto is known for long-distance road racing. The World Marathon Majors points out Kimetto would hold the world record for fastest marathon debut if the IAAF recognized that stat. He set his personal best in Berlin with a finish time of 2:04:16.
article by Lisa Balde via nbcchicago.com

Prada Uses Black Model in Print Campaign for 1st Time in 19 Years

By goodblacknews on July 1, 2013
Malaika Firth
Malaika Firth in Prada ad (Image: Jezebel.com)

Prada, a label known for rarely casting models of color, has selected a black model for a new print campaign. For first time in 19 years, a woman of African decent will be a major face of the luxury fashion brand in a Fall/Winter 2013 advertisement.
Malaika Firth, a bi-racial black woman who is half Kenyan and British, was born in the Kenyan city of Mombasa and raised in the United Kingdom. The 19-year-old, who also boasts Ugandan, Swiss, and Seychellois ancestry, appears in the latest Prada seasonal ad series with 44-year-old supermodel Christy Turlington among other faces. 
Fellow supermodel Naomi Campbell was the last black woman to be featured in a Prada ad campaign in 1994.
Firth told The Telegraph that she is “extremely proud and happy” to be following in the footsteps of the pioneering black supermodel. Naomi Campbell was one of the first black models to receive international recognition.

Documentaries 'Girls of Daraja' & 'School of My Dreams' to Air on PBS May 9th

By goodblacknews on May 5, 2013

Educate GirlsTwo short documentaries directed and produced by Barbara Rick about Daraja Academy in Kenya air back-to-back on PBS on May 9th, “Girls of Daraja” followed by “Schools of My Dreams.”

Girls of Daraja:
A boarding secondary school for Kenyan girls with top academic scores and exceptional leadership skills but no means to continue their education. The academy provides shelter, food, healthcare and counseling services which allows students to focus on their academic and personal potential, without being hindered by the everyday barriers of poverty.
School of My Dreams:
An engaging portrait of students of Daraja Academy, a free Kenyan boarding school for exceptional girls living in poverty. In their own words and art, Daraja’s first graduating class demonstrates how education is expanding their vision and unlocking their dreams. They commit to transforming their communities and the world.  Watch the trailer below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfHTRrk8FEc&w=560&h=315]Click here for more info about Daraja Academy and the films.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson