German international footballer, Antonio Rudiger, through his foundation has on Thursday June 11, 2020, provided a-day meal and face masks for Under-10 football teams and other vulnerable children at Kroo Bay Community in Freetown.
Rudiger; nicknamed Rudy, is a Sierra Leonean-German national with maternal roots in Sierra Leone, and is currently plying his professional career as a footballer with English Football side Chelsea.
Local Director of Rudiger’s Foundation, Simon Seisay, says the feeding package is part of Rudiger’s desire to give hope through physical education and improve resilience of the most vulnerable and less privileged children.
Rudiger, who made his international debut for Germany in 2014, is one of the Sierra Leoneans outside the country who are leading the fight against COVID-19. Notably, the meal and masks provided by the foundation is in line with their desire to distribute 5000 masks in the country.
Rudiger intends to join the government and the people of Sierra Leone to sensitize and educate citizens on the ways to avoid the spread of the pandemic, noting that 500 masks apart from the meal package, was distributed to children to cushion community transmission of the pandemic.
Seisay implored the children and adults to adhere to the Corona precautionary measures instituted by the government.
Children, according to Mr. Seisay, are targeted because Rudiger wants to educate and improve the lives of young footballers and vulnerable children in the country.
He added that more than 100 children, including players from the targeted Under-10 teams, benefitted from the meal package provided by the foundation.
”Rudiger has his heart in Sierra Leone and wants to do more that is why he is doing this; he is not doing it because he has money, but because he want to give hope to the children that they can be like him” he said.
Sports and other social activities were put on hold by the government as a means to curtail the transmission of Coronavirus.
However, the gesture of Rudiger particularly to young footballers dreaming to be professional footballers, according to Coach of Kroo Bay Community, Abdul Aziz Fofonah deserves to be emulated by other people.
He noted that taking care and providing meals for young boys playing soccer has been difficult especially in a situation where they have no means of making extra money because he solely depends on football.
”We appreciate Antonio Rudiger so much, because he has shown that he loves this country in providing food for them” he said.
He went on to say that there are lot of prospects in his players to develop into the likes of Antonio Rudiger, but they lack the platform and opportunity to accomplish great achievement , adding that they are using football to give good morals to the young boys.
By Desmond Tunde Coker