This week, I'm hosting Henry Wanyoike and Joseph Kibunja. Henry is a blind Kenyan runner and gold medalist. He received his gold medals at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Paralympics and is the current world record holder for both events. I have been fortunate to host them before when they visited New York to run in the ING NYC marathon. It was like a homecoming to see them again, but this time in Dubai. Henry Wanyoike and Joseph Kibunja are the most inspiring people I have ever met. A brief summary of their story: Henry always wanted to be an athlete. As a child, he was groomed to join an elite corps of athletes that would represent Kenya in world-class races. He excelled at the 5,000 and 10,000-meter distances. However, at the age of 19, he went to sleep one night and suffered a stoke, which caused him to lose his sight. Despite many obstacles, Henry still ran. He learned to run with a guide and despite being blind, became a world champion runner. Henry actually was so fast he outran many of his guides and eventually convinced his childhood friend, Joseph Kibunja to run and race with him. Joseph wanted to make Henry's dreams come true and thus trained and now they are world record holders of the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the Paralympics. They are also the official Goodwill Ambassadors for ‘Seeing is Believing’, Standard Chartered's global initiative to tackle avoidable blindness through education and sight restoration projects. Henry and Joseph travel around the world and race in 10Ks and marathons, while also participating in many speaking platforms to raise awareness about Seeing is Believing. They are a true example of how through partnership, anything is possible. To learn more about Henry and Joseph, please click here.
During their visit, we went to Jumeirah College and Royal Dubai School. Henry and Joseph spoke to over 800 students. They were also interviewed by the National Newspaper, Khaleej times, Gulf news, CNN, and several other news outlets.
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