From Kroo Bay to Lakeland, Ohio.
Omar Inga is 21 years old, lives in Murray Town, Sierra Leone and is the captain of his soccer team.
Omar is very good, but he is first and foremost a captain because he is both well-liked and respected.
He’s not the type to throw his arms around. Yet he’s often the center of attention due to his calm and social nature.
In collaboration with FANT, every year we help 1 young soccer player from Sierra Leone get a scholarship to a college in the US.
Here they get the opportunity to participate in a sports program while receiving an internationally recognized education.
This year, Omar has been given this opportunity.
A few days ago, his plane took off from Lungi Airport in Sierra Leone and after stops in both Brussels and Washington, Omar arrived at Cleveland Airport where a car was able to take him the last leg of the journey to Lakeland Community College.
Student Athlete in the US.
Omar has been awarded a Sport Scholarship at Lakeland Community College in Ohio.
Here he will study and play football for a minimum of 2 years.
We hope and believe he can go on to a 4-year university after that, but it ultimately depends on Omar’s performance on the field and in the classroom.
Omar is an athletic defender with a great touch on the ball. He is ambitious in his duels, gives 110% and is a natural leader.
Omar has already seen the city, met his roommates, had his first training session with the team and we are obviously very excited to follow him.
The scholarship does not cover all costs, but the remaining costs are covered by generous donations and by FANT itself. We’ve handled the process for the scholarship itself and of course, we do this completely free of charge.
Football as a bridge to the future.
The idea behind the collaboration is to highlight the potential of football as a pathway to better educational opportunities and prospects – and prove that this potential extends from residential streets in North Zealand to slums in Sierra Leone.
FANT works to create better living conditions for children and young people in developing countries, using sport as a starting point. They are founded on the idea of doing something for the community.
We thrive on highlighting individual performance.
The goal was – and still is – to inspire the community by highlighting and rewarding individual achievement.
Rings in the water...
When we last year sent Fatmata off to the US, FANT saw how many of their players began to prioritize their schooling.
They could suddenly see how soccer and school could go hand in hand and create opportunities. How football could provide access to education they would never have been able to afford otherwise.
Sending Fatmata to the US created a ripple effect in the local community.
Rings that changed the mentality of the many young local players in Kroo Bay and provided both motivation and inspiration.
In this way, we believe that the project is also beneficial to the community and not just the selected individuals who get the chance.
Omar is the next chosen one.
His upcoming journey is now a living example of how engagement on the field and in the classroom can be used to create opportunities for himself.
Kroo Bay area in Sierra Leone
Photo: Christian Als ( @christianals )
