Safaricom Chapa Dimba lands in North Eastern with a series of community outreach initiatives

Safaricom has officially kicked off the North Eastern regional finals of the Chapa Dimba football tournament with a series of community outreach initiatives aimed at transforming the lives of the locals in the region.

The initiatives involve free Medical Camps that took place on Saturday at the Garissa level 5 hospital, Stakeholders' Engagement, Players' and Coaches Clinics, and Digital and Financial Literacy training that will take place at Hola. These will lead up to the regional finals matches scheduled for the weekend of Saturday 24th February and Sunday 25th February, at Garissa University Grounds in Garissa County

“It is amazing to see how football has continued to grow in this region. In the history of Chapa Dimba, this is the first time we have witnessed, over 280 teams from North Eastern registered to participate in the tournament. The tournament serves not only to nurture talents but also to transform the lives of the entire community. That is why today, we are officially kicking off with a series of community engagement activities, including free medical camps, as well as digital and financial literacy programs aimed at empowering our customers in the region,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom PLC.

The Financial Digital Literacy training is  a collaborative effort between Safaricom and Britam Insurance Company designed for Boda Boda riders, vendors, small business operators, shopkeepers, and others who are Safaricom customers in the region to impart knowledge that fosters a culture of saving and enhances preparedness for credit and investment opportunities.

The football clinic for the players' and coaches will feature valuable lessons in skill development, social values, teamwork, and leadership. Coaches will gain insights into effective training methods, tactical approaches, and ways to motivate and communicate with players.

Last week, during the free medical camp at Garissa level 5 hospital, over 3300 people from Garissa and its surrounding community benefited from free medical check-ups, free physician consultation, eye and dental check-up, blood sugar test, blood pressure, cancer screening, among others.

 Additionally, there will be training on the use of Safaricom’s newly introduced GPS Sports Vests, which are AI-powered to improve players' performance and open up scouting opportunities. They are used to capture data about players, including total distance, speed, power plays, power scores, among others. This allows players to understand their strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement, and more.

The community engagement initiatives will then build up to the Safaricom Chapa Dimba regional final matches, to be played at Garissa University Grounds, with three boys teams lining up for the competition.

Safaricom Chapa Dimba aims to provide a structured platform for scouts and coaches to tap into new talent and build feeder systems for the Kenyan football leagues across the country while also training a total of 250 coaches. The football tournament targets young people aged between 16 and 20 years old.

It is a national grassroots football tournament in collaboration with the Football Kenya Federation. It was launched in 2017 to give young people (boys and girls) aged 16-20 a platform to showcase, nurture and earn from their talent.

The tournament aims to provide a structured platform for scouts and coaches to tap into a vast resource of upcoming talent and build feeder systems for the Kenyan league nationwide while training 250 coaches.

The tournament has been vital in developing and growing football talents within the country and beyond.

The tournament has produced many talented players such as Benson Omala of Gor Mahia, currently a top scorer in the Kenya Premier League; David Majak of Tusker FC; Jentrix Shikangwa of Beijing Beikong; Jane Njeri; Cynthia Livondo and Judith Osimbo among others.

This year, Safaricom has committed over KES 400 million to support the tournament from Mashinani all the way to the national level.

The total prize money for the tournament has doubled to KES 20 million to reward the winning boys’ and girls’ teams from the grassroots, county, regional and national finals. Additionally, 150 Scholarships to TVET colleges will also go to top talent – Best Boy and Girl players – from every county and the winning Girls and Boys Team at the National Final courtesy of the Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations.

The best football players, two boys and two girls, will be scouted during each of the regional finals to form an All-Star team. They will get an opportunity to visit Spain for a 10-day training boot camp, with two players (a boy and a girl) getting international placement in a youth team in Spain.

There is also additional prize money at the national finals level, which will see the most disciplined team take home KES 100,000, while the Best Girl player, Girls Top Scorer and Girls Best Keeper will take home KES 50,000 each.