Manchester United and Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana is the winner of the 2024 Player Impact Award, one of three FIFPRO Merit Awards. The Andre Onana Foundation provides high-quality surgeries to children and adults from underprivileged communities. FIFPRO is donating $10,000 to the Andre Onana Foundation to help support their humanitarian work.
By Andre Onana
Growing up in Cameroon, I was taught the importance of lifting each other up. It’s something that came from my family and the people around me.
When I passed through Barcelona, Amsterdam and Milan on my way to Manchester United, I had people who helped me on that journey. When I was down, they gave me a hand so that I could stand up. I’ve never forgotten the help I received. Because of the people in the past who supported me, I feel I have a responsibility to give back and help others.
When I started the Andre Onana Foundation, the idea was to help blind children in Cameroon. We received a lot of support and it’s since grown to become an NGO that provides free medical care and surgeries to children and adults from underprivileged communities.
We bring doctors and surgeons, mostly from Spain, to perform the procedures in Africa. In July this year, we had our fourth surgical campaign where a delegation of Spanish health professionals – from nurses to paediatric surgeons – helped over 350 people in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital.
Over the last three years, the foundation has performed 1,200 surgeries. As well as healthcare, we also provide schools for orphans; coming from that part of the world, it’s incredibly difficult to step up when you don't have parents.
The foundation means a lot to me. It makes me see things differently. When we have those surgery campaigns, I try to be there as much as I can. You see people who have nothing, yet they look happier than people who have everything; they didn't want to be in that position, but destiny made it that way and they are making the best out of that situation.
When you see that, it changes your way of thinking. Just enjoy life. Try to help people as much as you can.
I know quite a lot of footballers who are doing something similar to help others less fortunate, but they don't want to be in the spotlight. If other footballers are thinking about starting a foundation, the advice I would give is to do what is best for them and help if you can. At the end of the day, this is something very personal and it has to come from yourself. It’s what makes me happy.
My advice to my team-mates is to try to change the world if you can. Start somewhere and our younger brothers will build on it, step up, and will do even more than us. Footballers inspire people. A lot of people have eyes on you and it's very important to make them understand that, in life, everything is temporary. It doesn't matter how the situation is going. It doesn't matter what you are facing now. It will change. If it doesn’t change today, it will change tomorrow.
Winning the Player Impact Award means the foundation will receive a $10,000 donation from FIFPRO. I want to thank FIFPRO and the Cameroonian player union Synafoc; this big donation is very welcome, and our team already have plans in place to do some nice things for the kids, hopefully in cooperation with UNICEF.
As for the future of the Andre Onana Foundation, we have a lot of things ahead. We’re in conversation with the United Nations to do a collaboration and our main priority going forward is to impact as many people as we can in the world.
I’m proud of the work that is being done. I’m proud of the people involved who are making this happen. Remember: enjoy life and try to help people as much as you can.
