This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
Kenyan international Johanna Omolo has made history by winning the prestigious Fifpro Merit Award for his outstanding community work in Dandora through his foundation. The award, which comes with a Sh2.5 million cash prize, is a testament to his dedication to uplifting the lives of the youth in the informal settlement.
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 programs. The foundation also provides sanitary pads to teenage girls and offers various initiatives to improve the livelihoods of the youth in the area.
"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.
Omolo, a member of Common Goal, a charitable organisation that donates 1 percent of their wages to non-governmental organisations working in football, was not present to receive the award. Instead, Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (Kefwa) officials Jerry Santo and James Situma received it on his behalf in Sydney, where they were attending FIFPRO's Annual General Assembly.
Omolo's win follows Australian international Awer Mabil, who won the award last year for his philanthropy work with his Barefoot to Boots Foundation. The foundation, which started as a means of providing kids with football boots at Kakuma Refugee Camp, has since expanded to offer education and healthcare support to thousands of kids at the camp.
