How It all started…

Coach Tony Mauldin was serving as Men’s Basketball Coach at Abilene Christian University in 1991 when missionaries moving to Nairobi, Kenya, approached him needing basketball shoes for the children. After their conversation, which included a picture of two boys playing barefoot on an asphalt court, Coach Mauldin was moved to begin contributing his donations and time to the mission work at Kenyan Christian Industrial Training Institute (KCITI) in a poor area of Nairobi called Eastleigh.

SHORT TERM MISSIONS

Coach Mauldin initially traveled to Nairobi in 1992 sponsored by the Stevens’ Foundation to conduct basketball camps for boys and girls. The camps drew in young people from the area and Coach Mauldin took that opportunity to teach them Bible lessons. Coach Mauldin was accompanied by his wife, Janice, who helped tutor school children in math while they were there. Despite the poverty and difficult living conditions in the area, they fell in love with the work of teaching young people there about the love of God. The Mauldins continued short‐term mission trips to the area each summer until 1996.

FULL TIME COMMITMENT

Coach Mauldin had never planned to be a missionary but was committed to serving God wherever He led him. Coach Mauldin and his wife sold their home and belongings to raise money so they could move to Nairobi and commit themselves full time to teaching children about the love of God. In 1996 with the help of churches, individuals, and their Bible study group members the Mauldins raised the support they needed to move to Nairobi for 3 years to work with young people in need.

KCITI

While at KCITI, Coach Mauldin taught Old Testament Bible classes in the morning and oversaw the Intramural Sports in the afternoon. After classes, Coach Mauldin coached the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The success of these teams winning National Championships brought attention to KCITI and its goals of providing a quality education to local students in a Christian atmosphere. Also, Coach Mauldin had an opportunity to share God’s word and discuss God’s purpose for our lives with the basketball team members through a noon Bible study. Several of the basketball players are now Christian leaders in current mission programs in Nairobi because of the influence of this bonding and study time together.

Student Sponsorships

Many school-age children in Eastleigh and surrounding areas did not attend public schools in Nairobi simply because their families could not afford to pay for uniforms, fees, supplies, and other school-related expenses. As a community outreach program, Coach Mauldin began finding sponsors in the US who would contribute a monthly amount to the ministry for a child’s educational needs. The ministry, in turn, made sure the sponsor’s child was provided what was needed to stay in school and be successful. This community outreach program has continued through to the current school program (Change a Life Learning Center) in Mathare.

Girls Club, Boys Club, and Teens Club

As an outreach to the Eastleigh community and surrounding areas, Coach Mauldin and several basketball players started Saturday meetings for boys and girls and teens. The purpose of this Saturday program was to share God’s plan and Jesus’ love for them. These Saturday programs were very popular with large numbers of young people in attendance each week. These Saturday programs provided the basis for what has continued from 1996 into he current Mathare Saturday program with an average of 1,000 children in attendance in four sessions each week.