Neddy Atieno Okoth, a former captain for both Harambee Starlets and Ulinzi Starlets Football Club, has shifted her focus to giving back to society through her “Neddy for the Needy Initiative”. The initiative, which was started in 2018, aims to support less privileged children in the society to access affordable education.
Atieno, who is renowned for her record-breaking five goals during the 2021 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, currently supports over five kids in junior school.
She says she was inspired to start the initiative after receiving kindness from strangers who held her hand and helped shape her destiny.
“I was inspired to start this initiative because personally, I am a testament of kindness. Majorly in my life, my destiny has been shaped by strangers who came along the way and held my hand without requiring any support. That is why deep down in my heart I understand what it means to shine a light on someone,” Said Atieno as quoted by KEFWA.
Through the initiative, Atieno and her team hold come-together celebrations in different towns with street children, where they cook food together, play games, read books, and have interactive sessions that bond them as a family beyond borders.
Atieno believes that shining a light on someone else can make a big difference in their life, and her initiative aims to do just that.
Atieno’s career in football dates back to 2012 when she was tasked with wearing the armband for Tartar Girls team and Kenya’s U-20 team, captaining the latter to the brink of qualifying for the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and winning the 2012 KSSSA national games.
She was also part of the Kenyan side that made history by qualifying for the 2016 African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON).
In 2021, Atieno joined the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Caretaker Committee to head matters of women’s football in Kenya after being appointed by the then CS for Sports. However, her passion for giving back to the society has been evident throughout her career, and she hopes to inspire others to do the same.
