Kenyan footballer wins global football award

Harambee Stars midfielder Johana Omolo makes speech during the team's luncheon organised by their sponsors Betin at Safari Park hotel in Nairobi on May 30, 2019. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT |

What you need to know:

  • Omolo is also a member of Common Goal, a charitable organisation that draws willing professional footballers and coaches to donate 1 percent of their wages to non-governmental organisations working in football.
  • The 30-year old midfielder has been playing professionally in Belgium for a decade now and currently turns out for first division side Cercle Brugge, a team co-owned by French giants Monaco.

Kenyan international Johanna Omolo has won the prestigious Fifpro Merit Award for his community work in Dandora through his foundation. The award comes with a Sh2.5 million cash prize.

Started in 2017, the Johanna Omolo Foundation has been supporting kids in Dandora, where the Belgium-based player grew up, through education scholarships, mentorship and entrepreneurship programmes, providing sanitary pads to teenage girls among many other initiatives meant to uplift the livelihoods of the youth of the informal settlement considered one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in Nairobi.

“Delighted to announce that Johanna Omolo Foundation has been named as the 2019 Merit award winner. I take this opportunity to thank the entire Johanna Omolo Foundation team for their zeal and resilience to changing the lives of the less fortunate kids in Dandora,” Johanna tweeted.

“I would like to thank FIFPRO for the award – it means a lot not only to me, but to the people of Dandora who will gain massively. Many kids’ lives are going to change courtesy of this and I can only be thankful,” the former Dandora Youth and JMJ Academy player added in a separate interview.

Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (Kefwa) officials Jerry Santo and James Situma received the award on behalf of Omolo in Sydney where they are attending FIFPRO’s Annual General Assembly.

Omolo is also a member of Common Goal, a charitable organisation that draws willing professional footballers and coaches to donate 1 percent of their wages to non-governmental organisations working in football.

The 30-year old midfielder has been playing professionally in Belgium for a decade now and currently turns out for first division side Cercle Brugge, a team co-owned by French giants Monaco.

Australian international Awer Mabil won the award last year for his philanthropy work with his Barefoot to Boots Foundation that started as a means of providing kids with football boots at Kakuma Refugee Camp, where the 24-year old striker was born.

It has since expanded and offers education and healthcare support to thousands of kids at the camp.