When Malik Divers built his horse stable on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he expected to raise his horses and go about his business. Instead, he noticed that a lot of children in his area needed some purpose in their lives.
“[There were] a lot of kids running the streets with nothing to do… but when they see a horse they come running,” Divers told NBC Nightly News.
Right away, Malik knew he could help these kids find a constructive way to use their time. Soon after starting his stable he let local kids from the city hang around, work with the animals, and help with their upkeep and care.
“Once they start learning they start staying out of trouble,” Malik said. ” [It gives] them something to do… keeps them busy.”
You can see the transformation in young men like 16-year-old Shahir. He has become such a light for the community along with his fellow riders that they have been dubbed “The Concrete Cowboys.”
Shahir told NBC Nightly News, “When I’m on a horse I don’t think about what goes on here. But when I’m off, I hear everything. The gunshots, the news… people dying every day. But when I’m riding. I don’t pay attention to none of that.”
Check out how this amazing man is changing the lives of inner city kids one horse at a time.
