Honda spreads Ugandan connection into charity

KAMPALA.

On June 23, 2017, Keisuke Honda, a Japan international, made his first ever visit to Ugandan as a Global Advocate for Youth at the United Nations Foundation.
Many would have thought this visit, that included Ghana’s Sulley Muntari, was a one off as those made by many renowned football icons in the past. But Honda quickly developed the urge to touch lives here.
“All football players want to play at a World Cup. As my philosophy dreams make people strong and strong people help each other,” Honda stated in his press conference at Serena Hotel that Friday evening.
“So I want to educate, I want to provide opportunities for players with a dream to play at the world Cup,” Honda added.
Honda started off by securing majority shares of Azam Uganda Premier League side Bright Stars through Soltilo Uganda Ltd, a subsidiary of his Honda Estilo Company Limited.
Now his company is keen on holding the ‘Africa Dream Soccer Tour’ with the hope of helping children find their dreams and hope through football and education.
“Keisuke learned of the harsh situations that children in Kampala are put through when he met orphans and children living in refugee camps.

Honda humbled
“Even during those tough times, he was able to see the innocence and smiles in children,” Futamura Motoki alias Ssentongo, Honda Estilo’s Africa Regional Director, said.
Honda apparently discussed his ideas and feelings with coaches of Soltilo Familia Soccer School, who have since December pushed hard to impose the philosophy in Rwanda and Kenya.
In Rwanda, Soltilo coaches Shuzo Sakamoto and Daichi Motomatsu – who used to live in Jinja between June 2013 to June 2015 – held a clinic at Umuco Mwiza School, Kigali from December 9, 2017 to January 14. They will return later in October.
In Kenya, the group has partnered with Magoso School to support children around Kibera Slum since January 27. The first round of these clinics will end in mid-April while the next is expected to run from July to September.
In April, the programme is expected to roll out at an orphanage Nansana, supposedly Ashinaga Uganda with the support of Car-Tana.com, a company that exports used cars from Japan to African countries and SATO (Gold Sponsors).
SATO provides safe, affordable, and durable sanitation solutions for low-income consumers in areas without access to water and sewer infrastructure. Their products include toilet pans and stools to pit latrine connection systems.