2 Kenyans To Meet Man City Legend After Nairobi Wins Global Competition
From November 3-17, 2023, Xylem and Cityzens Giving - Man City’s global charitable initiative - spotlighted five Water Heroes Academy football projects across the world and asked fans to vote for which project inspired them the most.
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Kenyans supporting reigning English Premier League (EPL) champions, Manchester City can expect a visit from a football legend after a project by two female footballers emerged victorious in a global competition.
From November 3-17, 2023, Xylem and Cityzens Giving - Man City’s global charitable initiative - spotlighted five Water Heroes Academy football projects across the world and asked fans to vote for which project inspired them the most.
Among them was a football project spearheaded by the two Kenyans, Pauline and Mercy, who were picked alongside others from around the world, for their skills in raising awareness regarding the safe use of water in slum areas.
"Thank you for voting in your thousands for our amazing teams of young water heroes in Bangalore, Barranquilla, Nairobi, Tacloban City and Washington, D.C.
A graphic announcing Nairobi as the winners of a global competition hosted by Manchester City. /MANCHESTER CITY
"We are very pleased to announce that Nairobi in Kenya, was the top-voted project and has won a special Manchester City visit to their project, including a visit from a Club Legend," the football club stated in part on Tuesday, November 21.
Speaking about Nairobi’s achievement, Laura Brooks, Regional Programme Manager for Tackle, termed the victory as a monumental one given that it raises the profile of not just Nairobi as a popular destination but Kenya as a whole.
“We’re absolutely delighted to have won this year’s Water Heroes Academy campaign – thanks to everyone who voted for Nairobi! This means so much to the Young Leaders from Tackle and is a testament to the amazing work they are doing with Xylem to improve sanitation in Kibera and to end period inequality," she stated.
Through this project, young leaders in Nairobi are using the power of football to create awareness of water challenges within their communities and to educate girls on using clean water for sanitation and hygiene (WASH) during their period.
Pauline and Mercy utilised football drills to promote the responsible reuse of water, creating awareness regarding the importance of using clean water, reusing water and methods of water disposal as well as water treatment.
"Water is at the root of everything. We need water to cook, clean, and bathe. Every time a girl is experiencing her menses, she needs water to drink and to clean herself," Pauline noted.
The award known as Water Heroes is sponsored by Manchester City's Cityzens Giving programme which supports communities flexibly, from funding and training young community football leaders to crowd-funding and volunteering to help communities get back on their feet in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The competition, which saw participation from countries such as the United States, India, the Philippines, and Colombia, aims to use football as a catalyst for positive change in communities worldwide, tackling water challenges along the way.
Other than the visit by Manchester City's club legend, the winning group from Nairobi can expect specialized training from the club's coaches on both football skills and water education.
The recognition comes with valuable rewards, including funds, training kits, and additional support from the project sponsors, providing the local organization with the means to further its impactful initiatives in the community.
Man City Fans in Kenya
Since winning the EPL in 2012, Manchester City has risen to be one of the biggest football clubs in the world and became the second English club after rivals Manchester United to win a historic treble which also included the FA Cup and their first-ever UEFA Champions League.
Manchester City fans celebrate after the team scores in the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3, 2023. /MCFC LADS
However, City is the one club that has struggled to attract fans in Kenya despite its rampant success, though there is a Manchester City Official Supporters Club (OSC) group in Kenya, based in Nairobi.
There is also a group dubbed ManCity254 which is the first official Manchester City supporters club in Kenya with 200 registered members and over 1,000 Manchester City fans from the larger Nairobi area.
"There's a lot of us. There's an active group in Nairobi as well as Mombasa. We have several City groups full of fans from all around Kenya. They may say there are not a lot of us but the City jersey sells very well," Brenda Waitherero, the Vice-Chairperson of the City OSC Nairobi branch, revealed in an exclusive interview with Viral Tea.
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