Teach Baseball in Africa

42/22 is planning future trips to Kenya to teach baseball, and we are always looking for volunteers to join us. See what volunteers have to say about the experience, or read on for some general background.

The Experience

Perhaps the most exciting feature of 42/22 is sharing the experience. Getting to know kids in Kenya through playing baseball and meeting and spending time with orphan children and the exceptional people who care for them is the experience of a lifetime. Providing some fun and a helping hand to children half a world away, children who literally have nothing, and who have nothing in common with us except what matters most—we are part of humanity—is great for the kids of Kenya, but is even more rewarding for the participants.

This adventure is challenging physically, emotionally and spiritually. It makes us examine everything we thought we knew about what it means to be a human being. We encourage participants to absorb everything about this experience. Emotions range from sadness to joy, tragedy to triumph, sympathy to being uplifted, and everything in between. We see a strength of spirit and indomitability of attitude that have long since been supplanted in the U.S. by concerns that seem trivial in comparison. It is overwhelming and intense. It is enlightening and confusing, just like being human is itself confusing.

Trip Activities

A major activity is teaching and playing baseball with kids. The kids we will be working with have either never seen a baseball or have been introduced to the basic skills. Therefore the skills we teach are very basic. We often work with very large groups of kids, so innovation, improvisation and flexibility are essential. We introduce the concept of the playing field and the basic rules of the game, and build from there.

Kenyan community leaders, working with us, develop an agenda of schools and orphanages for us to visit. We try to incorporate time to just visit and hang out with the kids, as we and the kids enjoy this very much. Lodging is modest but comfortable. We arrange for wholesome food and bottled drinking water.

Qualifications

The basic qualifications are:

1. Basic proficiency in baseball skills and basic knowledge of the game;
2. Good physical condition;
3. Love of young people;
4. Maturity (regardless of age);
5. Ability to commit to a fifteen-day trip;
6. Willingness to get beyond one's comfort zone.

We will personally interview and request references for all participants.

If you are interested, please contact us to learn more.