The First East Africa Jump Competition was great. Today, we just finished day one of the three day workshop. The kids won’t stop jumping, many going nine hours today. And all the kids - from six cities in two countries - have tightly bonded: jumping, teaching and relaxing together. I wish I had time to tell you more. It’s just going to have to wait until I can post some pictures. More to come…
Tomorrow is the First East Africa Jump Rope Competition and Workshop, hosted by Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya. Peter Nestler, Dennis and Amy Canady, Colleen McCary, Courtney McBroom and James Evans have all arrived over the last few days. Sandile Ntombela, Manager of the South Africa National Rope Skipping Program is here with World Champion Sibusiso Mabele.
Good luck to everyone competing in the USA Jump Rope National Championships! What you do this week will inspire so many generations to come.
The First East African Jump Rope Competition and Workshop will be held from July 2nd-July 5th at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya. Children from Tanzania and Kenya will compete on July 2nd, then take part in a 3-day workshop staffed by national and world-champion jumpers from South Africa and the U.S. Stay tuned for updates, pictures, and videos!
First day back in Nairobi. Walked onto a soccer field to see 50 kids, from all over Kibera, who showed up early on a Saturday morning to jump rope. The trainers here are running sessions six days a week, with regular attendance from the entire group. It took me about 15 minutes to stop smiling.
Last day in Moshi before heading up to Nairobi. Zee, Leps, and Keo…I don’t think I can thank you enough for all you did for these kids here. I’ll try to post a video sometime in the next few days. Tanzania anaruka!
Just finished a visit to Morogoro, stopped in Dar for the day, and heading to Iringa tomorrow. Can Frida break the East African 30 second speed record of 64? Count on it. Check back soon for new pictures and updates.
Three days into teaching in Dar es Salaam. In addition to the T.J., E.K., Inverse T.J., E.B. T.J., Sideswing Quad, and Toad to Frog, Amisi is doing skills I’ve never shown him before. He’s figuring out how the rope moves, how skills link from one to the next. Athumani has taught so many of the younger kids in Dar.
Green fighters - 100
The new issue of Sotokoto ( ソトコト ) Magazine just arrived in Ohio. Sotokoto is a lifestyle magazine for the 
urban dweller of Japan, and focuses on health, environmental, educational and social issues. The special May edition outlines the work of 100 “Green Fighters.” I am honored to be among them.
It is an awesome group. Featured green fighters include Paul Watson and the entire Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, whose mission it is to protect the whales, porpoises, seals and other sea life of the oceans through direct action and intervention (see cover at left).
Among the green fighters for Africa are Feliciano dos Santos, who has dedicated his life and his music to campaigning for better public health through clean water and 
adequate sanitation in Mozambique; Eveline Aendekerk, managing director of dance4life, which advances skills for survival and AIDS/HIV awareness across Africa; Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, founder of Conservation through Public Health, which seeks to prevent spread of disease between human and gorilla populations in Uganda; and Muuewa Chikanba, founder of Zambikes, inexpensive locally made bikes in Zambia.
Other global greenfighters include an ecologist promoting the understanding of biodiversity through the popular media, women who advocate environmentally friendly environmental publications, local food businesses which connect students and the elderly, the publisher of a journal for the full-figured woman advancing in the business world, and social entrepreneurs who bring clean safe water to remote villages.
Many who have risen to the top of the world of government and business are among the “Green Fighters 100″ for 2010, through their commitment to humanity and the environment. I noticed Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffet and Jeff Skoll, former president of eBay, and founder of the Skoll Foundation.
I feel honored to be part of this group.
The single rope speed record for East Africa, which has stood at 60 for the past month, has been broken. Last Saturday, 11-year old Constance from Kibera reached a score of 64 right-footed jumps in 30 seconds. That’s 128 total jumps. With a licorice rope. With one mistake. At the end of a 3 hour training session.
I leave for Moshi today. It’s been an amazing month here in Kibera, and I wish I could stay longer, but I’m excited to see all of the kids from Mkombozi, Amani, and Tunahaki. I’ll spend the next three days in Moshi, return to Nairobi, then head to Mombasa for a few days. Check back for videos soon!