Solidarity for Kenya through sport

The second fundraiser for charitable organisation Surgery for Turkana, which aims to help the African people through sport on their aid expeditions to the continent, was held in the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Lounge in the Caja Mágica.

This year at the Mutua Madrid Open, the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Lounge bore witness to the ‘Surgery for Turkana‘ (Cirugía en Turkana) fundraiser, a charitable project that began in 2003 on the banks of Turkana Lake in Northern Kenya, and with support from the world of tennis has been working to improve living conditions for some of the world’s poorest people. In attendance were Carlos Moya, Manolo Sanchís, Daniel García Lara and Jacobo Díaz, who all took part in a number of sporting events designed to raise funds and awareness ahead of the organisation’s next exhibition to the Kenyan town.

Surgeon Helena Mendía heads up the Project which will make its tenth expedition to Africa this year as part of its continuous effort to improve things from the inside. “While we can’t change the world, we can change the lives of some people”, said Mendía, who perfectly embodies the concept of solidarity with this brilliant bit of ‘madness’ that was created one day “while having a coffee at home with my husband, three missionaries and two Africans”, she said after the presentation ceremony in the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Lounge next to the lake on level -2 of the Caja Mágica.

The Santo Domingo Social Club was eager to collaborate and offered up its facilities for the II Surgery for Turkana fundraiser, which will hold a concert headlined by Los Secretos on the 7th of September and then a week later will organise a challenge among friends of Carlos Moyá and Manolo Sanchís, who will enjoy a day packed with tennis, paddle tennis and golf, all in aid of Surgery for Turkana. The ex-world no.1 gave us his opinion on the project. “These guys are heroes. It’s a really worthwhile project. We should all get behind them and try to make the world a little better.”

In the evocative setting of the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Lounge at the Caja Mágica, Surgery for Turkana and the Santo Domingo Social Club gave us a fine example of solidarity in helping people in need from the area surrounding Lake Turkana in Kenya. Another step towards a better future for the Third World.