Zach Gwandu's Training Camp

I moved into the training camp after spending the afternoon in Arusha with Zach. The camp is small and very basic, but comfortable and homey. The camp is really more of a small compound, home to Zach and his family (his wife, 4 children, and 5 orphans),the 14 girls he trains, and 5 families that he rents rooms to. Centered around a courtyard that is used primarily for washing clothes and doing dishes, are the 3 buildings which house each of the close to 50 people who live here. The girls share two rooms, each with 2 sets of bunk beds...that means most girls share a bed so that they can squeeze 7 girls into each room. One of the girls even has a 13 month old daughter who lives here too. I'm staying in one of the rooms with the girls, but am living luxuriously with the bottom bunk all to myself! There is no electricity, and the two toilets and shower stalls (cold water bucket showers in pitch blackness, mind you!) that are shared by all 50 of the people who live here are outside. Once the sun goes down, the lanterns are brought out. Dinner is eaten by candle light, showers are taken with just my puny headlamp to provide light, and going to the bathroom at night is just a big no, no. The kitchen too is outdoors. Cooking is done over a wood or characol fire under a makeshift tin roof. There are 3 small gardens where they grow corn, beans, and a few local vegetables to help cut down on food costs. All of the girls have rotating chores--cooking, cleaning, and laundry. It's a tightly run, close-knit family, each person working together to reach a common goal--to become world class runners. Already 4 of the girls, none over the age of 23, are ranked in the top 50 in the world in various middle distance events. They have managers in Europe and two have modest contracts with Adidas. But its still not enough to keep the electricity on(the government has no system of measuring electricity and so therefore charge households random, arbitrary fees, typically around $200 per month!) or more than just the very basic foods on the table. But Zach has a vision for these girls and for his country,and these girls know that this is their ticket out of poverty.

I admire each of these girls, recruited and subsequently moved from their homes at the age of just 13 or 14 to come train here, over 7 hours away from their villages. Each one has been hand selected by Zach on the basis of natural talent, body structure, and family values. Zach and his wife, Mama Gwandu, struggle each month to ensure the girls and their own children have everything they need, but it's Zach's love for his country, his vision for the future, and his sheer will that really keep this place and Team 100 going. It's an inspiring sight to see 2 former Olympians give up their opportunities for material wealth and comfort in order to produce a better future for these girls.