Sophia Carter at Athi River

What’s all this about?

Swim For Africa is a small non-profit organization dedicated to raising support for children in Athi River, Kenya. Each year Swim For Africa helps the Athi River children by providing their families with necessary funds for schooling, school supplies, and food. In 2010, Swim For Africa raised $4,113 dollars for the Athi River kids. With the help of the Lake Tahoe Community and family friends, Swim For Africa was able to ensure each child who needed help finantially funds for the 2010/2011 school year. With the excess of funds raised, Swim For Africa was able to start a supplemental food program for families in the village.

This year, Swim For Africa is hosting a fund-raiser entitled Octo-Freeze. This is a fun and exciting event for families in South Lake Tahoe. The event will be held at Regan Beach on October 9th, 2011. There will be food (provided by Lake Taco) crafts for kids, live music, and a 100-yard fun run in the cold water of Lake Tahoe. All Kids participating will receive award certificates and they will have a chance to write letters to the kids in Athi River, Kenya.

Swim For Africa’s Mission
In 2010, our goal was to raise enough money for every child to be fed, sheltered, and given medication (if needed) for a full year. We are pleased to say that we raised enough money to feed, shelter, and provide medication for two years.

With the success of 2010, Swim For Africa’s new mission is to host an event every year to raise awareness and support the children of Athi River through school scholarships and Food donations.

Swim For Africa’s History

Swim For Africa was created in early 2010 by South Lake Tahoe local, Tiffany Carter. During Christmas of 2009, Sophia Carter (Tiffany’s sister) returned from a missions trip through YWAM where she spent 3-months at a village in Athi River, Kenya. Sophia brought back with her stories about the starvation and mal-nutrition of the kids in the village. She shared about their lack of medical supplies, and sickness of some, including HIV. She witnessed their living quarters, family dynamics and she experienced their poverty. Sophia however, was overwhelmed by her experience and humbled by each person and child she met living at the village; their optomistic attitude and hope despite their poor resources. When she left the village to return to the states, she promised herself and those of the village that she would try to get them help. During this same time, Tiffany (growing-up in the beautiful city of Tahoe) had always wanted to try and swim across the Lake. She began training and was looking for a charity/cause to support with her swim. Her largest concern was the guarantee that 100% of the funds she raised would go directly to the charity of her choice. With her sister having direct contact with the children of Athi River, Tiffany decided to raise money through her swim for the village in Athi River, knowing that 100% of the funds raised would go directly to the kids and families of the village. Thus, Swim For Africa was born.

How Your Donations Support The Children

Your donations are sent perodically to the village of Athi River throughout the year. Many young children in the community come from abusive families or parents that struggle to provide for their loved ones. Established in the village is a pre-school for young children. The school as been built by an organization called YWAM and provides the children with basic needs, such as food, and education. The school even provides children with medication for those who have HIV. Unfortuately, families must pay a menial fee to send their children to school, and although many village people work, many cannot afford the tuition for the school. However, means that can provide so little here in America, like a cup of coffee for example, can stretch extremely far for those in the village. For about $50-$100 dollars per year, a child can go to school everyday, and be guaranteed a meal everyday, where without this they could go two to three days without eating.

Swim For Africa’s contact at the village is Gentrix. She is like the village social worker and lets us know about the children who need scholarships for schooling and also what their family is like. In 2010, Swim For Africa raised enough money to support every child in the village (who needed scholarship) and had excess donations. Gentrix used the excess to develop Swim For Africa’s food program in the village by using your donations to buy grain for struggling families. Gentrix delivers the grain to the families herself.