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| Clinton joined Ndoto in 2012 |
Clinton wasn’t on a good path in life. He grew up in Obunga, surrounded by crime and poverty with few good influences to support him. He was following the ways of the world when his older brother, Michael, sat him down and began to call him to a better way. Michael had begun to learn about living well from American missionaries led by Allison Schlack.
Michael went on to become the pastor of Ndoto Community Church and Allison’s husband. Clinton found his own calling, as well.
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| Homemade weights still build muscles! |
Ndoto had supported Clinton’s high school education and sponsored him to attend Kenyatta University, where he studied criminology. During college, Clinton caught a love of physical fitness. While at home, he would scrape together whatever he could find to make weightlifting equipment and to help other students work out.
Ndoto started thinking about sports and fitness for the community. There was one other gym in town and it was making a profit, and we thought, “Why not here?” We paid for Clinton to attend a short physical training program after he graduated from college, which he finished in late 2019. It wasn’t long before the pandemic upended the whole world, and we hired Clinton for security at our vacant compound.
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| Clinton launching the boxing classes last year |
In Obunga, with students home from school, Clinton began doing outdoor exercise classes with kids in our compound while he was watching over things. We didn’t anticipate launching a business in the midst of the pandemic, but Clinton was ready to go!
Ndoto Boxing & Gym has taken off in Obunga, with a steady stream of clients coming for exercise, weightlifting, and boxing classes with a professional trainer. Clinton wasn’t done, though. As our offices re-opened and the need for a day guard decreased, Clinton found more opportunity with the Ndoto Sports Academy.
Recently Ndoto has realized the life-changing potential of a growing Sports Academy. Young people can learn discipline, team work, and perseverance from competing in sports. Regular gatherings for practice now give the opportunity for Ndoto to invest in more than 50 kids through devotions and mentorship. Few of the participants in the Ndoto Sports Academy are sponsored students, so it broadens our influence.
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| Clinton (at right in white) coaches the under-20 team, who came back from a 1-0 deficit to beat a heavily-favored team on Saturday. |
Clinton has found that he can even apply some of what he learned in criminology school in his role. He often sees young people heading down wrong paths and he can see the bad decisions they are likely to make. He jumps in to stop them before they go too far. An early intervention in a place like Obunga can mean the literal difference between life and death.
Clinton is finding his calling in life, one step at a time, as he follows the doors the Lord opens for him!
