What is the Nairobi Men's Club? Tell me more about the "drive-by soccer ball" program.

The Nairobi Men's Club (NMC) is a non-profit group that was started by George Westfall to honor the service of our MSG Marines at post. The NMC ensures that each Marine that has served us at post leaves with a gift (memento) thanking them for their service. Though our organization is called a "Men's Club" it is only in name. We welcome women and are proud to claim some as members.

The drive-by soccer ball program is a legacy project started by George that gave back to Kenya. Basically a car is filled with soccer balls and then a random direction is picked and we start driving. Along the route, whenever we come across some Kenyan children in the countryside, we give them a soccer ball. This continues until we run out. Though it is a small gesture, we hope that when these children grow up they will remember the time that the Americans came along and gave them something to play with.

Amboseli School Project

By Cub reporter Pknumon 

    On Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday weekend a rag-tag outfit of embassy personnel along with some other friends traveled to Amboseli for some fun.  And what fun it was going to be.  Stocked with the faithful members of the Nairobi Men’s Club(NMC), we had 3 days to build a school for Maasai school children.  They were currently filling a 12 X 18 foot building with over 70 children.  KUSLO’s own Barbara (gone native) Bloeth became aware of this through Maasai friends that she stays with quite often in Amboseli, and decided that she would be a factor.  Barbara unlike many people didn’t say “aah, that’s too bad, someone should do something about that”.  She stepped up to bat and put her money where her heart was and sprung for the building materials needed to build another school.  In a possible lapse of judgment she contacted NMC’s President for Life to help.  Knowing the massive charitable efforts of the NMC, she had made the right decision.  Within days NMC’s president contacted members to tell them that they had won a free weekend in the Amboseli national park.  Always ready to take advantage of free child labor, the NMCP informed several parents that their children could come work the weekend and knock out their required community service for school.  Press-ganged into service the children loaded up with NMC members and headed to the park on Friday afternoon.  On the way there, the NMCP picked up some hitchhiking backpackers and conned them into working also.  Throughout the late afternoon and early evening workers and NMC members arrived for their free vacation.  Everything seemed to go smoothly except for the NMCP showing up to the wrong school, and much like most politicians he made promises that he could not keep.  Over the evening meal of roast beeste, a plan of attack was made for building  the school.

    Saturday morning, the Embassy’s builders showed up ready to work, everyone except the NMCP.  He was investigating the disappearance of the Serena hotel’s supply of tonic water.  (A mystery still left unsolved.)  Even without their imbibed leader the NMC members and volunteers went to work.  Under the tutelage of “Wild” Bill Harrison and direction of John Rexford the foundation of the new school was laid.  With holes being dug and plans being made, the walls of the new school started taking shape.  At the base of Africa’s largest mountain braving sweltering heat and dust storms the construction moved at a feverous pace.  After stopping for lunch and a brief nap, we plodded our way through the project, until only the roof and 2 end walls were left. 

    Sunday morning, the Maasai village welcomed our workers into their village for ceremonies and a history lesson on their life.  After much celebration work began anew on what was left of the structure.  While the roof was being assembled, crews worked on the unfinished roof and end walls.  Ignoring sunburn and splinters, gaps in the structure were closed and the building’s windows and door were built.  Finally as the finishing touches of windows were to go into place, our overworked power tools batteries gave out.  Giving everyone a good excuse to go back to the hotel to shower and to take an afternoon game drive.      Monday morning, with only the NMCP and his trusty sidekick Zak left from our original workforce, the final touches were put into place.  With the windows in place and the door hung, our new shack was complete.  After a complete weekend of the Man keeping us down we were finally finished.  Following another flat tire on the GWB, we caravanned back to most enjoyable rush hour Nairobi traffic.