On July 9th 2010, Kenya’s most famous footballer, McDonald Mariga, paid a visit to Gatoto Primary School. It would prove to be a very memorable day for the school, with one of the teachers saying, “This is the best day of my life”.

On the day of his appearance, word quickly filtered down through the school that Mariga was coming, with a great sense of excitement and anticipation throughout the school community. The Inter Milan footballer addressed the school assembly and encouraged the children to apply themselves to their studies and said that hard work is the key to being successful.

Hearing such words from a figure so highly revered in Kenya will encourage such capable children to apply themselves that bit harder again.

This day was one of the key success stories thus far of the Suas 2010 Volunteer team in Gatoto. The event itself came about through a request from one of the teachers to a volunteer, Alex Hamilton, to see if any effort could be made to persuade the current Champions League winner to visit the school.

McDonald Mariga is currently plying his trade for Inter Milan in Italy where he has just won the treble of Champions League, Seria A league title and the Coppa Italia. All of this was achieved under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho.

For such a highly regarded Kenyan figure to take time to visit Gatoto has left an indelible mark on the school and all members of its community. Making the visit even more remarkable is the fact that Gatoto was the only school chosen by Mariga to visit during his five week stay in Kenya this summer. The visit is testament to the fantastic work that can be achieved when the volunteers and teachers are working in tandem.