A global sport that transcends boundaries, football has the remarkable ability to bring us all together; uniting everyone under a shared love of the beautiful game. Division and discrimination, however, still exists in society and can manifest itself in different forms.
Kenya’s Horn of Africa Development Initiative (HODI), who are using the power of football to combat social barriers while fostering safety, were presented with the FIFA Diversity Award 2018 during at a ceremony in London on Sunday.
The ceremony included a keynote speech by FIFA Council Member and member of the Diversity Award jury Lydia Nsekera of Burundi and a panel with Di Cunningham of Three Lions Pride and Proud Canaries, Piara Powar of Fare network and FIFA’s Head of Sustainability & Diversity Federico Addiechi. All provided an insightful discussion into combating prejudice and promoting diversity through football.
Working closely with schools, HODI supports adolescent girls in breaking the silence on issues that affect them, sharing information on life skills and creating a safe space for them to learn and play football.
The organisation’s flagship programme Shoot to Score helps to prevent young children from being forced into ethnic rivalry and conflict, providing safe spaces for learning a culture of non-violence through football.
“This award is an important recognition and puts the wind behind our sails. It means the work we are doing is important and it gives a lot of confidence to young women in northern Kenya that we are on the right track – that FIFA and the whole football community is behind us,” said HODI’s Noor Abdulkadir.
