Who would have thought life could change so drastically in the span of one year? Certainly not me.
Just a year ago, my life was defined by endless cycles of boredom, with my routine mainly revolving around sitting at home, hanging around with my high school friends, and simply hoping for a better future. But hope is never enough.
Of course, few could blame me for my new lifestyle, as I had just completed high school and was waiting to learn my academic fate before planning my next big life decision. But then something occurred to me. Since I have always been an ardent fan of the beautiful game of football, why not try to be a bit consistent with my training and see where the sport takes me?
That split-second decision to rejoin our local football team proved to be a game-changer for me. As it turns out, a neighbouring team with far more skilled players was preparing for a competition and required additional personnel.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa. PHOTO/ Safaricom
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By a stroke of luck, during one of our friendly games, I happened to be in decent form as a central defender, and my performances attracted an unofficial offer from our rival team’s coach.
“How would you like to play at the Safaricom Chapa Dimba tournament?” he asked after the game. I genuinely thought he was joking at first.
Around these parts, getting an offer to participate in such a Safaricom competition is the equivalent of a top player like Kylian Mbappe receiving an irresistible offer to join a top club in world football. Of course, I said yes, albeit with some reservations.
“Sure, but aren’t I too old?” I asked before realizing I almost derailed my golden opportunity with a silly inquiry. Luckily, the coach clarified that as long as I was below the age of 20, I was eligible to participate.
After signing up for the local team, we embarked on gruelling training in preparation for the tournament. Personally, I had one eye on the individual prize, as I somehow believed I could bag the Ksh30,000, which typically goes to the best boys’ player. Oh, the things I could do with Ksh30,000 in my pocket as an 18-year-old.
A long story short, our team did not make it past the regionals, but to say the Safaricom Chapa Dimba competition was one of the best things to happen to me would be a huge understatement.
Not only did I make permanent connections with other upcoming players in Kenyan grassroots football, but the competition also opened my eyes to a world of endless opportunities.
Thanks to my skills in the game, I got some recognition from scouts, who encouraged my mother to nurture my skills.
In the weeks since our team got knocked out, I have been lucky enough to be in contact with other key initiatives from Safaricom. Call it fate or a coincidence, but I also recently made friends with a middle-aged millennial, I say middle-aged because he is pushing 40, who has worked in several of Safaricom’s base transmission stations, which are powered by solar.
I have become his student, be it with a little take-home to help my family. Under his teaching, both in life skills and I have learned more about the company I thought only dealt with calls, the internet, and M-PESA.
It came as a shocker to me when I learned the lengths Safaricom was going to preserve the environment by going green.
“Can you guess the number of base stations that were solar-powered in 2022?” My new ‘elderly’ friend asked me, knowing all too well that I had no idea what he was talking about. “No,” I answered, and he proceeded to tell me the number soared from 310 in 2022 to more than 1400 solar-powered base stations in less than a year. That statistic left me speechless. I almost asked him how I could be part of the cause, so I play my part in saving the environment.
https://youtu.be/AgpsyhrCVFc
It was like he read my mind because he also revealed Safaricom’s ambitious ‘green’ plan, which entails planting five million trees by 2025.
I was also pleased to learn that this year alone, Safaricom and MPESA, through their respective foundations, launched Phase 6 of Ndoto Zetu Supporting 306 projects that had a direct impact on the lives of close to over 900,000 Kenyans.
The foundations also built 39 schools, supported 39,000 households affected by floods, and conducted fistula operations for 470 women in 14 counties. The foundations impacted 2.6 million people, investing Ksh3.5 billion in making lives better for Kenyans across the country.
Also, since my participation in the tournament, my life and routine have changed drastically. I no longer find joy in eating my days away in front of a TV. As a matter of fact, through the now popular Safaricom Hook platform, I’ve unlocked my creative side, and I’m well on course to becoming a renowned creative in the country. Watch this space.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa during the Chapa Dimba na Safaricom tournament. PHOTO/ Safaricom.
