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It is located somewhere outside the four million-resident city of Nairobi, in the dusty, hot slums of the Kenyan capital. The Paula Mercy Foundation orphanage. An austere building made of concrete and sheet metal. Thirty children get a roof over their heads and food here. Until recently, the building was cramped and the children slept close together. But now the orphanage has been expanded by another floor. This is largely thanks to triathlon superstar Daniela Ryf (36).
“Admittedly, in Switzerland the building regulations would probably not have been adhered to during the expansion. But that’s how it works in Kenya. It is worth a lot to the children,” says the Solothurn resident about the expansion of the orphanage. In addition to the Foundation, Ryf supports two other aid projects in Nairobi with the recently established “Daniela Ryf Fund”.
Coincidentally first donation
The fact that she is so involved with Kenya has to do with her family. «My stepmother is from Nairobi. My father lived with her in Kenya for almost twenty years,” says the iron woman. However, her first major donation came about by chance. When her father had a serious accident three years ago, Daniela Ryf paid the treatment costs at the hospital in Nairobi. “That was about 10,000 francs that we had to pay immediately. Months later I got this money back from my health insurer. I didn’t expect that at all.” She decided to donate the unexpected portion to a local aid organization. Her stepmother Sophia supported her in choosing serious projects.
In addition to the orphanage, Ryf supports another organization called ‘AfriPads’, which produces reusable sanitary pads. In many African countries, menstruation is taboo and considered dirty and unclean. Many girls in the slums cannot afford hygiene products and stay at home during menstruation. “This has serious consequences for their future because they cannot graduate because they missed school,” said the Solothurn resident. Especially as a woman, this project is close to her heart.
Waste of food even though you are very hungry
Project number three is about food waste. Moment: Food waste in Kenya? Where, according to the children’s organization Unicef, almost a million children are currently malnourished and a quarter of them are at risk of starvation? ‘It’s almost unbelievable, but yes. In Kenya too, farmers’ products must meet high standards for large entrepreneurs. If a head of cabbage is too small, that will be solved,” Ryf explains the problem. ‘Farm to Feed’ collects this food, and another organization uses it to cook food for a thousand children every day. A menu that can save lives. For many children it is the only meal of the day.
A roof over your head, hygiene products, food. Daniela Ryf can get all these things with her find. But the children are still missing something completely different that no amount of money in the world can buy: love. The five-time long distance world champion has experienced this firsthand. “When you hold the children in your arms, it immediately becomes clear that otherwise they would never receive so much affection. They enjoy every second of a hug and don’t want to stop.”
Convey dignity and self-esteem
It’s the little things that make the biggest changes in children’s lives. This also includes eating a meal, not sitting on the floor, but at a real table. “It’s not something essential to life. But it is important for their dignity, their self-respect. The kids need to know: Hey, I’m important, I’m valuable.”
A lot can be done in Kenya with little money. That is what Daniela Ryf encourages. But the death of her father last year also has to do with her efforts. His daughter wants to honor him by working in his adopted home country. “After his death, that thought often crossed my mind, but I never had enough time during the season to do anything big.”
But now the time has come. The Ironwoman is currently giving away her racing bike, with which she won the Ironman in Tulsa (USA) in 2021. Your fans can participate in the draw from a donation of 10 francs. The Solothurn resident hopes to raise more than 50,000 francs with the campaign. An amount that could save countless children in Kenya from a cruel fate.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
