Captain Abdulla Kone's personal endeavors beyond the field; a team leader building communal bridges by sharing success through education.

Sports can make a difference!

By nature we understand the needs of one another. It does not require much more than looking into our own lives to recognize the necessary efforts needed to increase the wellness of the lives of others. Thus, here is an example of a man that not only strives hard to achieve success for himself but also chooses a path that we all know and are able to do yet very few possess the selfless nature that enables one to walk it.

 His name is Abdulla Kone, Al Sadd’s very own team captain, who has graced Qatar with his talent for the past 15 years. His homeland is Senegal, a country whose citizens place great value, respect and esteem for knowledge and education.  Through this ingrained appreciation and with the tools he acquired in Qatar he took it upon himself to establish ‘Cabis School’; located in the city’s capital Dakar. When Captain Kone was asked about his inspiration, he proudly replied “The initiative was created to contribute to my community by providing high-class education similar to what Qatar offers. As such it will be a means of creating job opportunities for the people”.

2007 marks the year of Cabis School opening. At present the school consists of two buildings and provides education from kindergarten to high school. Cabis School offers various subjects such as Arabic, English, French and this year began teaching students Qur’an. Loyal to Qatar, one would find a picture of the Qatari Emir and Crown Prince hanging on the corridor wall, bearing a reminder of Captain Kone’s own fruits of labor.

The passion of any professional sports player burns strong. Captain Kone has plans for Cabis School recreational curriculum and intends on forming their first football team this year. It’s interesting to see that it is with this same passion that Kone was able to achieve his life’s goals and through it equip others with the opportunity to do the same.

It is admirable to see that Kone’s efforts do not seize there! He clearly endeavours in creating a better tomorrow today, as such he in the processes of establishing “Konect’s Humanitarian Foundation”; honoring his family name by giving back to the community.

             Founder and MD of IMPACT CSR Solutions, Dalal AlDossary expressed her delight when she said, “I can clearly see that after Al Sadd Sports Club adopted the CSR program we discovered more than one story about players undertaking initiatives to do good. I like to call them the ‘Community Winning Team’ since they are all ambassadors towards different causes. There is a saying, ‘A journey of a thousand miles starts by a single step’. In Al Sadd Sports Club, for one initiative there are 11 ambassadors!”

            Great people do great things and the greatest of things are that which benefit humanity as a whole. Through this one example of Captain Kone and the many on the “Community Winning Team” it’s easy to see how one can achieve success on many levels by simply doing what is simply human nature. Even baby steps lead to a better community. Sports are a global industry, and Al Sadd Sports Club along with their representatives intends to use it as a podium for implementing Qatar’s first strategic sport CSR initiative. They leave it up to you to join in and make it a community project, with the belief that ‘a strong kick-off keeps us all on the winning team’!