Thursday, 21 January 2016

Nigerian football star Perpetua Nkwocha now coaching Afghan migrants in Sweden

Nigeria star Perpetua Nkwocha

Nigerian football star Perpetua Nkwocha knows what it's like to find yourself many miles from home, making a new life.

Her playing career took her from Nigeria to China and then to Sweden - where she has been based in the northern town of Skelleftea for more than seven years.
Now the multiple African champion and African Women's Footballer of the Year is helping others who have made a very different journey, to the same destination.
She is player-coach for a local team, but much of her spare time this winter is being taken up coaching a group of Afghan teenagers, some of the hundreds of young migrants who have arrived in the town in recent months.
"I feel that it's similar - which is why I have to try to make them happy, because I know where they came from," she told the BBC.
"I feel so glad that I connected with them and we started this project together.
"We try to make them feel welcome, try to make them feel happy, try to make them get friends and associate with other Swedish [people]."
Habibullah
One of the children she coaches, told out reporter that "She's a good coach - you see there's many people playing football here and they're really enjoying it. We're all happy"

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