City Stars extend helping hand to the needy amid Covid-19

Danny Ogega in Nairobi

While the Covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted on the lives of millions of people across the country, it has brought out the best in others.

Those in a position to help have gone the extra mile to offer the helping hand to those that have been hard hit by the pandemic by donating foodstuff and essential items as a show of love and compassion.

National Super League champions Nairobi City Stars have played an integral part in cushioning the less fortunate families from slum areas from the constraints brought about by the pandemic.

The club’s playing unit and technical staff have made it a habit in helping the Jonathan Jackson Foundation reach the needy homes by physically helping in the distribution of aid items to the identified location.

Team coordinator Samson Otieno said the players have been central to the project’s activities.

“The program is run by the Jonathan Jackson Foundation under the supervision of the programs manager Boas Onyango Ojwang’ and is tailored to cover the entire Nairobi region,’ he revealed.

The success of the project relies on a thorough scrutiny of the identified people to verify that they indeed need help.

Among the areas that have so far benefited from the project include Soweto, Ayani, Kianda, Mama Okinda among many others in Kibera.

“We are helping the sick as well as the less fortunate in society for instance the disabled. Our guys on the ground have helped us map the region to establish areas that need help.

“They help in verifying that indeed the identified locations need help,” he added.

Otieno said the players have hugely contributed to the success of the project thereby underlining their will give to back to the community.

“The players have, until now, delivered food to more than one hundred thousand families across the slum areas in Nairobi, a fete he says only underlines their will to put a smile on the faces on many more families.

“Up to now, we have donated three million meals which is a good gesture from the players. Their participation is very important since we want them to be agents of change,” he added.

Otieno has refuted claims that this is part of the foundation’s corporate social responsibility program, saying the program is also aimed at empowering the youths to add value to their existing projects.

He added that the advent of the coronavirus pandemic has made it tough for many families dwelling in slum areas, thus the project’s objective to help lessen their burden.

Apart from donating food, they aim to inspire you to venture into entrepreneurship.

“We can visit a project let’s say a car wash and if we realize the owners do not have a washing machine we can help them acquire one,” he explained.

Otieno challenged other clubs to find unique ways of helping communities around them despite the financial challenges that engulf many Kenya Premier League clubs.