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Kenya’s Futbol Mas foundation was on Sunday awarded the 2019 Fifa Diversity Award by Fifa Foundation during the fourth edition of the awards ceremony in Milan, Italy.
PlayOnside, an organisation that is active in Thailand and Myanmar, and Uganda based Watoto Wasoka finished second and third respectively.
The Non-Governmental Organisation, which has its base in Mathare and Kibera Slums, was established in 2008 to prevent the youth from society vices like crime, drug abuse and violence.
The foundation which also exists in Chile and Peru organises a football league for the boys and girls between 5-15 years old who have been divided into two groups dubbed the “Swaras” and “Sunguras” respectively.
The children get awarded the green cards gifts based on their discipline, respect, hard work, team work and commitment to the game and those who have more green cards get to play in the league which takes place every term in the academic calendar.
"Today is a powerful reminder of how football can impact lives. Of how − in the face of different problems, in different parts of the world – the game is a strong tool to promote positive change,” said Futbol Mas commercial director, Sergio Guerrero.
The aim of the organisation is to equip the children with proper life skills, positivity, hygiene knowledge and building of their self-esteem while creating youth and community empowerment through football.
The Futbol Mas Foundation was voted the winner of the Fifa Diversity Award 2019 by a jury comprising 11 prominent figures from global football and international experts in diversity and anti-discrimination in sport, three of whom attended the ceremony on Sunday - Fifa Council members María Sol Muñoz and Lydia Nsekera, as well as Dutch legend and four-time Uefa Champions League winner Clarence Seedorf.
The award is part of Fifa’s ongoing drive to promote equality and inclusivity, initiatives of which include the implementation of an anti-discrimination monitoring system, the launch of a three-step procedure to deal with discriminatory incidents during matches at major tournaments and the publication of a good practice guide in conjunction with Fifa’s 211 member associations.
The next league will start on September 19.
