On 18 and 19 of June 2015, in the East African town of Kakamega in Kenya, seven personnel involved in youth activities held sports activities workshops in cooperation with the Kenyan government. As part of preparation for this training, the personnel involved selected events and compiled a set of English teaching plans to help enhance the penetration of sports activities at nationwide facilities, such as children’s detention centres and rehabilitation schools. On the actual day, ‘The Supporting Organization of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers’ hastily arrived at the scene for coverage. Plus, The Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) also distributed teaching materials at each facility to educate those concerned on the value of sport.

At present in Kenya, JOCV youth activity members are actively working in facilities such as children’s detention centres, providing guidance to delinquent children and accommodating street children and rehabilitation schools. Within such facilities, despite numerous measures taken with the mental and physical growth of the children in mind, the challenge across the board was to ensure staff would convey the social importance of sporting activities to the children. During the training, following a lecture and practical session on the rules of football, handball, volleyball, etc., and how to teach them, a work plan was created in each facility to map out the future of sports activities.