Betsy King Returns to Africa to Teach Golf


On December 1, LPGA Hall of Fame member Betsy King will make her third trip to Africa to help aspiring young female golfers in Kenya, genocide survivors in Rwanda and AIDS orphans in Lesotho. King, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., will be accompanied by LPGA golfer Stacy Lewis and two LPGA teaching pros, Suzanne Strudwick and Susie Corona.

King and her colleagues will arrive in Nairobi, Kenya, where they'll go to a children's center and host a golf clinic for professional golfer Rose Naliaka and her junior golf program, and deliver toys to special-needs children. Though golf is misconstrued as an elitist sport for the rich, King is on a mission to change that perception by promoting the game among the less privileged in Nairobi.

Naliaka is grooming young girls to become like her, and four of them have already had the opportunity to attend a ladies tournament in Scotland (http://womensshoesgolf.com/young-kenyan-golfers-headed-to-scotland). From Kenya, King's group will depart for Kigali, Rwanda, on December 6..

On December 8 they'll drive to southern Rwanda to visit the Uwinkingi Medical Clinic, which was built in 2010 by Golf Fore Africa (GFA) donors, to visit sponsored children in the Mudasomwa area. The clinic provides basic health care, treat malaria and distribute ARV drugs to help those suffering with AIDS. In Rwanda they will also host a Christmas party for the children they sponsor.

Then the group will travel to Southern Africa where they'll deliver 1,000 AIDS Caregiver Kits assembled in Scottsdale for caregivers in Lesotho. They will visit homes of HIV/AIDS patients with caregivers and work on a housing project with World Vision and Habitat for Humanity, helping build houses for children who've been orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS.

Since 2007, more than 60 LPGA players have donated time and money to help make Golf Fore Africa projects successful. Contributors include Lorena Ochoa and all 12 members of the 2007 U.S. Solheim Cup team. Juli Inkster, her two daughters (Hayley and Corrie), Reilley Rankin, Katherine Hull, and teaching pros Wendy Posillico and Renee Powell all accompanied King to Africa in past trips. In the past three years, King and her friends have donated more than $1.2 million to help children.

For additional information about Golf Fore Africa, visit www.golfforeafrica.org or call 480/284-5818.

About World Vision

World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves the world's poor regardless of a person's religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org.