I READ with interest Doug Gillon's article on the work of Kip Keino ("The legacy of Glasgow's Games will reach from Dalmarnock to the heart of Africa", Herald Sport, July 29) with special interest, as I lived and worked in Eldoret, Kenya, for two years in the late 1970s.

I was seconded by Tear Fund, a Christian funding and serving agency based in London.

My primary role was to set up a trade training centre for the benefit of Kenyan young men from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds. The majority of my students had had no secondary education and were dependent on support from the wider family. No fees were required from those who were worst off.

The course was the brainchild of John Green, an Englishman who had arrived in Kenya with a view to assisting Christian missionaries in their work. It did not take him long to note the distress and living conditions of many Kenyan children as he watched them search the local rubbish dump for items that might be sold for a few Kenyan shillings. His conscience was pricked and he felt that he had to do something to help these children, so he opened his small house and took a few of them in for shelter and food, later writing a book called A Cry From The Streets. He married a Kenyan lady and both of them committed their lives to helping poor children enjoy an education and a roof over their heads. Their orphanage in Eldoret is called Testimony Faith Homes, and the five-acre compound located just outside the town now houses a school taking in children from nursery age right up to secondary level. In recent years the numbers have increased considerably, and three new houses have been added to the site, with married couples acting as house parents.

My wife and I, along with our son, visited Testimony Faith Homes in 2011. I saw many changes and many additions to the place I left more than 30 years ago. However, the care shown to the children remained unchanged in spite of heavy demands on their budget. I should add that the work is supported entirely by Christian friends and supporters; I think I am correct in saying the Kenyan authorities offer no financial help. Incidentally, in another part of Eldoret there is an off-shoot to this work called Neema Children's Home. This is a smaller work, helping children with Aids and HIV.

The young men that I taught were well aware of Kip Keino's achieve­ments on the track and were proud of him. Is there ever likely to be a day when some of our wealthy, sporting elite could emulate his concern for the poor and disadvantaged?

Harry Speedie,

8 Whiteloans,

Bothwell.