Kenya: From the Foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, Magnolia Athletics Camp Is Helping Girls Stay in School

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying an Inter Press Service report from Oloitoktok, Kenya, highlights Magnolia Athletics Camp, a residential programme near the Tanzania border that combines distance-running training with schooling and safeguarding for girls from pastoralist communities. The story opens with 19-year-old Josephine Sembeyo, who trains before dawn under Mount Kilimanjaro and is preparing to represent Kenya in the 1,500 metres at the 2026 World Athletics Under-20 Championships.

According to the report, Magnolia supports 45 girls with scholarships covering education, housing, food, athletics coaching and protection services. Coach Andrew Lesuuda said the camp was designed not only to develop runners but also to help girls remain in school and build confidence beyond sport. Athletics Kenya Youth Development Director Barnaba Korir said such community initiatives can complement national talent-identification efforts while keeping young athletes in education.

The article frames the camp’s work against wider pressures facing some girls in marginalised pastoralist areas, including child marriage, female genital mutilation and limited access to schooling. It cites UNICEF figures that more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, and notes that Kenya banned the practice in 2011, though it persists in some communities. The report also connects the story to the International Day for Women and Girls of African Descent on July 25.

Other athletes featured include Jeska Lenawatop from Samburu County and Felister Naimutie from Kilgoris, who described how drought, livestock losses and restricted opportunities shaped their childhoods. The report says Magnolia works with parents, teachers, community leaders and anti-FGM advocates to encourage girls’ education and challenge harmful practices.