Written by Canadian SportWORKS Officer, Leanna West
Leanna’s international experiential learning experience is funded by the Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) Program. This collaborative initiative is made possible through the leadership of the Rideau Hall Foundation, in collaboration with Community Foundations of Canada, Universities Canada, and Canadian universities. Through its promotion of international student exchange and civic engagement, the QES program is helping to grow young Canadians into global citizens while promoting Canada as a destination for the world’s top talent and attracting top talent and international research leaders to Canada.
Hi everyone! My name is Leanna! I am currently a Canadian SportWORKS Officer here in Nairobi, Kenya. I attend Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta and I am in my final year of the Physical Literacy program. I’ve always had a love for travel, learning about the world hands on and have a passion for helping others, so when this opportunity arose, I couldn’t resist! I’m also passionate about health promotion, mental health advocacy and exploring how mental and physical health are connected. After graduation, I hope to bring these passions together in a future career in medicine.
We’re now living in Nairobi and working with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) on two main projects: Cheza Healthy (Play Healthy) and the Olympic Values Education Program (OVEP). Cheza Healthy focuses on promoting physical activity and healthy living through sport and play as a way to prevent and reduce non-communicable diseases, while OVEP emphasizes the social and emotional development of youth by teaching the core Olympic values of excellence, respect, and friendship. While one targets physical well-being and disease prevention, and the other encourages character building and lifelong engagement in sport, both aim to empower individuals and communities through inclusive, value-driven movement.
I’m deeply grateful to Commonwealth Sport Canada, the Queen Elizabeth Scholars program, Mount Royal University, NOC-K, and everyone who has supported us in making this experience possible. It has already made a meaningful impact on me and I know this journey is only just beginning.
This past month has been full of learning, laughter, and so many unforgettable moments. Our coworkers and hosts have been absolutely amazing, welcoming us with open arms and making Nairobi feel like home right from the start. From setting us up in our apartment to sharing meals and showing us around, we’ve been surrounded by such kindness and generosity.
One of the highlights of our work so far has been working on the Olympic Values Education Program engaging with youth in elementary school, middle and high school in hopes to promote the three Olympic Values: Respect, Excellence, and Friendship. We’ve had the opportunity of a lifetime to help plan, coordinate and organize this event and this past weekend, we saw all of our hard work come together at the Expressions of Olympics Values Regional Debate. This debate was for high school students spanning across all of Kenya, separated into five regions; Nairobi and Central, Western, Nyanza, Coast and Rift Valley. It was beyond inspirational seeing how the students were so passionate and involved – it made me super excited for them and the change makers they’ll become and reminded me why youth leadership matters so much.
Outside of the office, we’ve been soaking in as much of Kenya’s beautiful culture as we can. We’ve even picked up on some Swahili, including: Jambo (hello), Asante (thank you), Karibu (welcome), Uko aje (how are you), Kesho (see you tomorrow), Natoka Canada (I’m from Canada), Usiku mwema (goodnight) and we can’t wait to learn more! We’ve tried foods such as matura (traditional African sausage), matumbo (cow intestines), ugali (a cornmeal staple), mbuzi choma (grilled goat), mandazi (Kenyan doughnuts), sukuma wiki (a traditional kale dish), chapati (kenyan flatbread) and my personal favourite nyama choma (grilled meat). Oh yes! And the best chai tea EVER!
We had the honour of attending the burial of the president of the Kenya Basketball Federation, Mr. Paul Otula. Seeing how loved Mr. Otula was and hearing stories of his amazing legacy was truly a privilege. Additionally, getting the chance to witness a traditional burial was life changing and let me see the world from a whole different perspective.
The burial took place back in his home village of Oyombe. From Nairobi, it was an 8 hour drive which provided us with the amazing opportunity to see more of Kenya’s countryside and wow – is it ever amazing! From crops of sugarcane, to tea and fields of corn! The lush greenery is absolutely breathtaking. We were even offered some delicious grilled corn on the side of the road – yum!
On our journey we got to see some of Kenya’s fellow cities, such as Nakuru, and we even stayed a night in Kisumu, which borders the massive Lake Victoria touching 3 countries including Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
We’ve seen some wild zebras, giraffes, baboons, and gazelles – definitely been one of my personal highlights! We also saw some more familiar farm animals, such as cows and goats, roaming around almost everywhere! We’ve also got to enjoy the incredible sunrises and sunsets.
In our downtime, I’ve really been enjoying exploring Nairobi, wandering through malls and markets, chatting with street vendors, and just soaking it all in. I’ve also picked up a love for watercolour painting and colouring – a peaceful way to unwind at the end of the day.
We’re looking forward to June where the art and essay competitions, as well as the national round of the debate will take place. It’s been such a privilege to help shape these events and encourage young people to use their voices and creativity to explore what these values mean to them and their communities.
Thank you so much for following along on this journey. I feel beyond lucky to be here, doing this work, learning from this culture and growing every single day. I can’t wait to share what next month brings!
Asante sana na tutaonana kesho!
(Thank you so much and see you tomorrow!) 💛
-Leanna