{"id":115919,"date":"2024-04-01T19:05:35","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T19:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas"},"modified":"2024-04-01T19:41:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T19:41:51","slug":"sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas","title":{"rendered":"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi’s poorest areas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Kenya. <\/strong><\/span>Despite a lack of equipment, the sword fighting sport is growing in popularity in Kenya.<\/b><\/p>\n

They cut a striking group as they wander through Huruma in their pristine white outfits.<\/p>\n

These young people are heading for their favourite hang-out spot: the Tsavora Fencing club at the local community centre.<\/p>\n

The street becomes their arena as they parry and riposte in front of passers-by.<\/p>\n

This is not just a hobby for them: it’s a force for good in their lives.<\/p>\n

Fencing has helped carve a path away from crime, drugs and other social pressures.<\/p>\n

” says Mburu Wanyoike, who is now a coach for Kenya’s National Fencing team.<\/p>\n

His journey from delinquency to fencing coach and senior athlete in Kenya’s national team has been transformative.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the personal tragedy of the death of two friends, Wanyoike pursued training and education in South Africa, ultimately founding Tsavora Fencing in 2021.<\/p>\n

Tsavora Fencing has made significant strides.<\/p>\n

The team has produced 15 talented fencers who have earned spots in the national squad, with plans to represent Kenya in the African Olympic Qualifiers in Algeria this year.<\/p>\n

However, challenges persist, particularly regarding the affordability of fencing equipment.<\/p>\n

says Wanyoike.<\/p>\n

Tsavora Fencing Mtaani, an initiative under Tsavora Fencing, offers mentorship and training in fencing to the youth of these impoverished neighbourhoods, shielding them from the dangers of their environment.<\/p>\n

With 45 members, most of whom are students, the team serves as a beacon of hope in the community.<\/p>\n

Participants are required to become disciplined and put on integrity.<\/p>\n

“Initially I had bad company at home but now that I am in fencing, it has kept me busy and now it is a better option for me because I feel happy doing it,” says Jemimah Njeri, a 17-year-old member of Tsavora Fencing.<\/p>\n

“I cannot imagine myself without this sport because it has kept me very busy. In my area many girls have become teenage mothers and that is not a wonderful life,” adds 16-year-old Allen Grace.<\/p>\n

Steve Okalo, Secretary General of the Kenya Fencing Federation, acknowledges the uphill battle the sport faces in gaining popularity but remains optimistic about its future.<\/p>\n

“Fencing is not a popular sport like football or athletics, but we are trying our best to see how it is going because when we started, I started with about four people and now I’m seeing that I have good fencers,” Okalo remarks.<\/p>\n

As Tsavora Fencing continues to thrive, fuelled by the determination of its members and the support of the community, it stands as a testament to the transformative power of sport in, even the most challenging environments.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Kenya<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Kenya. Despite a lack of equipment, the sword fighting sport is growing in popularity in Kenya. They cut a striking group as they wander through Huruma in their pristine white outfits. These young people are heading for their favourite hang-out spot: the Tsavora Fencing club at the local community centre. The street becomes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":115917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[6857,7003,12068,544,3067,9081],"class_list":["post-115919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-kenya","tag-fencing","tag-kenya","tag-olympic-games","tag-olympic-games-paris-2024"],"yoast_head":"\nSword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi's poorest areas - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite a lack of equipment, the sword fighting sport is growing in popularity in Kenya. They cut a striking gro ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi's poorest areas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Despite a lack of equipment, the sword fighting sport is growing in popularity in Kenya. They cut a striking gro ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-01T19:05:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-01T19:41:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"538\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi’s poorest areas\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-01T19:05:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-01T19:41:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas\"},\"wordCount\":458,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Kenya\",\"Fencing\",\"Kenya\",\"Olympic Games\",\"Olympic games Paris 2024\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas\",\"name\":\"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi's poorest areas - kenya\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-01T19:05:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-01T19:41:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Despite a lack of equipment, the sword fighting sport is growing in popularity in Kenya. They cut a striking gro ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":538,\"caption\":\"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi's poorest areas\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi’s poorest areas\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/\",\"name\":\"kenya\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi's poorest areas - kenya","description":"Despite a lack of equipment, the sword fighting sport is growing in popularity in Kenya. They cut a striking gro ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi's poorest areas","og_description":"Despite a lack of equipment, the sword fighting sport is growing in popularity in Kenya. They cut a striking gro ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas","og_site_name":"kenya","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-04-01T19:05:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-01T19:41:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":538,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi’s poorest areas","datePublished":"2024-04-01T19:05:35+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-01T19:41:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas"},"wordCount":458,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Kenya","Fencing","Kenya","Olympic Games","Olympic games Paris 2024"],"articleSection":["all news","community"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas","name":"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi's poorest areas - kenya","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-01T19:05:35+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-01T19:41:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Despite a lack of equipment, the sword fighting sport is growing in popularity in Kenya. They cut a striking gro ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2024\/04\/sm_1711984070.478158.jpg","width":1024,"height":538,"caption":"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi's poorest areas"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/sword-fighting-offers-hope-for-youth-in-nairobis-poorest-areas#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sword fighting offers hope for youth in Nairobi’s poorest areas"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/","name":"kenya","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}