Kenyan boy Lawrence Masira has described it as a ‘life-changing’ moment, after travelling to Egypt for the Total Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Egypt 2019 under the Visa player mascot program.
Masira was a player mascot during Madagascar vs Tunisia quarter-final match at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo and he has described that day as one that will forever be inked in his memory.
But that is not where the story begins. Up until the beginning of this year, Masira was your normal kid, grazing his parent’s cattle on the outskirts of Nairobi and engaging in a kick-about with friends at the end of a long day. But all that began to change for the better in December 2018 when Kenyan journalist Eric Njiru snapped him herding the cows home in Lang’ata area in the outskirts of Nairobi with an old Arsenal jersey with ‘Ozil 10’ inscribed at the back with a marker pen.
Njiru posted the photo on Twitter, tagging Arsenal star Mesut Ozil who saw the tweet after a while and sent Masira and his team, now called Ozil FC, an assortment of jerseys, balls and sporting equipment. That was the beginning of the story.
So touched was Ozil with the fact that his small kind deed gained so much traction that he once again sent in another set of kits for Masira and his friends. CAF partners, Visa, picked up the inspirational story and enrolled Masira into the Afcon program.
“It felt really good. I was so happy to have that chance. The Madagascar and Tunisia players were very friendly and it was a good experience to meet them. I think my life has changed forever and I will never forget those moments,” Masira said.
“Being in Egypt was great; to watch the tournament live was unbelievable. We even had a chance to see the pyramids and River Nile. Everyone at school is happy and they all want to join me next time,” he said.
Masira has now become popular at his school and has already earned the nickname Ozil. He is pleased to have had the experience and believes his life will not be the same again. His mother, Helen, is equally excited with the opportunities a simple tweet from a journalist has changed their lives around.
“I was more than proud to take my son to Egypt and I never thought a moment like this would come in our lives. I thank Visa for this opportunity,” she said.
— Cafonline
