Honda's Africa Dream Soccer Tour kicks off in Kampala

Japanese footballer Keisuke Honda's ‘Africa Dream Soccer Tour' football program kicked off in Kampala on Saturday with two Japanese coaches Shuzo Sakamoto and Daichi Motomatsu conducting a training session for kids at the KCCA StarTimes Satdium, Lugogo.

For the next one and a half months (twice a week and three days) the coaches will continue their coaching sessions with the Ashinaga Children orphanage in Nansana and the Edgars Youth Program coaches respectively.

Following Honda's visit to Africa last year, through his sports management company Honda Estilo Corporation, he has since started an African Dream Soccer Tour that started December 9 to January 14 in Rwanda and went to Kenya before it made its way in Kampala at the weekend.

Speaking during the launch, Japanese ambassador to Uganda, Kazuaki Kameda said the United Nations Foundation had designated Honda as a global advocate for the youth after he organised a campaign for donating footballs, jerseys, spikes and related equipment to overseas children and organized football camps in several countries around the world.

"The noble idea is to provide free football education to unfortunate and vulnerable children and to promote talented ones into local soccer academies. I'm proud to say that the initiative is sponsored by a number of Japanese corporations including Car-Tana, SATO and SARAYA that deal in used cars, lavatory facilities and sanitizers respectively," Kameda stated.

He said the Japanese embassy will also offer the necessary support to the project. Honda Estilo's Africa Region Director Motoki Futamura said the concept for this project is to provide free football education to the unfortunate and vulnerable children between 12-14 years (boys and girls) in East African countries including Rwanda and Kenya.

Ashinaga Uganda director, Yoshihiro Imamura said he was grateful for the opportunity that has been extended to the children to improve their football skills and was hopeful that it would help them in their lives.

"We believe that through education and football, these children will change and make meaningful contribution to their families, communities and country in the future," Imamura said.

Edgars Youth Program team leader Edgar Watson said the partnership falls within their mandate of developing talent and giving a chance to the vulnerable children.

"We have 20 qualified coaches who will give a chance to the most talented children from this group. Our coaches will also share experiences with the Japanese coaches; so we are excited and we pledge to do our best to produce more football stars from this group," Watson said.

Takeo Hojo from SARAYA, Timothy Kayondo from SATO, Susan Nabbosa from Car-Tana represented the different sponsors giving Honda's philosophy, as the reason for their partnership.

Car-Tana and SATO are the main sponsors of the East African tour who will also give the kids car mechanic, maintenance and sanitation skills.

Fifty children will attend each of the training sessions that will be spread over different selected centers in the over five-year project.