Meet Africa's Own Female Football Soldier; Doreen Nabwire Omondi

Though hardly recognised in Africa, Doreen Nabwire Omondi is one of the few celebrated female football star in Europe from Africa. I was intrigued by her story and I asked her if I could share it with you my readers.

THE RISE OF A STAR

Doreen Nabwire Omondi was born in March 1987, in Ngomongo hamlet of Mathare slums in Kenya. At the age of ten, she started playing soccer and even participated in the international tournaments at Valley Bridge Primary School in Huruma were she was a pupil. Her interest in soccer earned a chance at Maina Wangigi Girls High in Eastleigh. At age fifteen, she was called to the national women team and her first game at the national level was played for Mathare Yout. Sports Association (MYSA). Doreen represented MYSA in Europe's biggest youth tournament "Norway Cup". She emerged the best in that tournament and that was the beginning of her career.

In 2006, Doreen represented Kenya in the first ever street football world cup which was held in Berlin, Germany in which Kenya emerged champions. It was in this tournament that linked her to International clubs. In 2009, the Germany club, Werder Bremen hired her and a year later she moved to FC Zwolle, a division one side in the Dutch Women League. While playing in Holland, Doreen attended classes in UEFA C coaching license.

She returned to Kenya in 2012 and joined Matuu Women FC as both coach and player. During this season, her experience helped the women's team emerge winner at the league. She also coached the National Youth and Spots Association. The club she was coaching (Matuu) collapsed due to financial constraints. After that, she went back to Germany in 2013 and joined another club, FC Koln and that is where she is to date.

AS AN AFRICAN SUPER WOMAN

Doreen, like any other born in a humble background faced with challenges like prostitution, early marriage, petty crimes and drug abuse. However, she overcame all these and she is now a role model to many girls. With this in mind, she resolved to reach out to other girls, educate and empower them. She founded Girls Unlimited, an organisation which uses sports such as football, tennis, volleyball and netball to nurture and develop youths' talents, making them good people in society.

She says that Kenya has plenty of female soccer talent, but the federation is not keen in promoting and nurturing them. "As a pioneer of women's soccer player and coach, my dream is to see other girls excel, even better than myself," says Doreen.

Girls Unlimited targets girls in primary and secondary schools and the community. Doreen and her team teach the girls life skills, decision making and confidence in Eastlands, Huruma, Kibera, Korogocho, Mathare as well as Limuru, Oyugis and Siaya outside Nairobi. She explains that decision-making would help girls know what is good for them. Good communication would ensure they share their problems with their mothers or colleagues and try to solve them together. Doreen believes that if girls learn to be confident in the field, they will definitely apply the same in their lives. To Doreen, the initiative is about giving back to society. The initiative has no donors, therefor, Doreen uses her own money to fund it.
"It is not something easy to do, however, passion drives me," she says.

MORE TO KNOW ABOUT DOREEN

*She has written a book titled "TRAUMPASS " with Herbert Ostwald, a very well known Germany journalist.
*She would have been a lawyer, that was her dream.
*She has a diploma in Tours, Travel and Cabin-crew. And she once worked for Phoenix Safaris, a tour company located at Village Market. She was there for just a month.
*During the 2010 World Cup held in Durban South Africa, Doreen was Kenya's representative among other great icons among them South Africa's former President Thabo Mbeki, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Franz Bekenbauer, Abedi Pele Ayew, Marcel Dessaily, Lucas Radebe to mention but a few.

At a time Doreen was contacted by African Super Woman (ASW) for this article, she was getting ready to go to Germany as an ambassador for some football tournaments in Kassel and Berlin respectively.