- Presented in partnership with WFS and FIFPRO, the Marcus Rashford Award reaffirms the legacy of the Manchester United striker’s child food poverty campaign
- The award is directed at athletes who have championed programs and actions that have a positive impact on their communities
- One-time Norway international Mushaga Bakenga developed a school for an orphanage of more than 300 children in DR Congo known as College Namugunga
One-time Norway international Mushaga Bakenga has become the latest footballer to win the Marcus Rashford Award, which recognises athletes who have actively promoted initiatives and efforts that bring about positive change in their communities.
Bakenga, who plays for Punjab FC in the Indian Super League, developed a school for an orphanage of more than 300 children in DR Congo called College Namugunga. His organisation Divided World fundraises and supports the needs of the school.
The Marcus Rashford Award is presented in partnership with World Football Summit and FIFPRO. Bakenga is the second recipient of the accolade, following Denmark international Sofie Junge Pedersen winning the inaugural award last year.
"We are very thankful and honoured to be winning this award,” said Bakenga. “It means a lot for me, and it means a lot for my family, and especially for the kids that are attending College Namgunga in Congo."
Today there are around 1,400 children at College Namgunga. Nearly 90 students acquired university scholarships and the school is now working to establish programmes with higher education institutions and grants to secure more places for children in the future.
"We started this school because we wanted to do our part and make a difference. We saw that it was needed and with the help of my now late grandfather, we started this school and this project and we have big plans in the future. This award will help us and motivate us to keep doing the right thing."
Mushaga Bakenga: "Being a footballer gives you an incredible opportunity to give back"
'We expanded with the demand'
Writing on FIFPRO.org last year, Bakenga describes the work that has gone into building College Namugunga, helping build a better life for children in DR Congo.
He wrote: "When I first approached my grandfather with advice on how to use my position as a footballer to make a difference, together we concluded that education is key to a better start in life. We found a small village just outside where my family is from [in DR Congo], that had been severely affected by war and poverty, where a lot of children had lost their parents and were struggling to survive.
"There were 11-year-olds with no family, no homes, no access to food, yet they were responsible for not only themselves but their younger siblings.
"We decided to build a school for the orphanage that was there, to help give these children a fairer start in life – give them something to build on, instead of condemning them to the hand that they had been unfairly dealt and had no way to escape. This is how College Namugunga began.
"Initially, we built classrooms, hired teachers and put the word out that a free education would be available to anyone who wanted it. When 300 children showed up, I realised that this was going to be a much bigger initiative than I had originally thought, and my bank balance alone wasn’t going to cover it. So, instead of limiting the pupils, we expanded with the demand, and founded an organisation called The Divided World that would help us fundraise and support the needs of the school."
