Talanta Africa Football Academy

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Samson’s passion for putting a smile on the faces of disadvantaged children and youth began in his teens when a young boy stopped him and asked for food. Samson took the boy in and, with the help of his mother and other well-wishers, raised the funds to not only feed the boy but see him graduate from High School.

Having grown up in Kasarani, Samson’s love of soccer was to fit perfectly into his dream of helping disadvantaged children. He became captain of his high school soccer team and qualified as a CAF-D coach, allowing him to coach at any academy in Kenya. In 2019, Samson and three fellow teachers and coaches founded TAFA soccer academy. In 2020, Samson was given the Six Stars Gala award for outstanding academy coach of the year.

Samson currently works at St. Andrews High School as a science lab instructor and is also Head Director of Mentorship Programming. He is passionate about his faith: “We need God in everything. We need to instill Christian values from a tender age. We want to show the kids that at the epicenter of everything is God, and that God will always be there for them no matter what.”

Co-Founder & Operations Director

With more than 10 years of teaching experience at the primary and secondary school levels, James (Jimmy) is passionate about education, especially when it comes to at-risk children and youth, having himself grown up in one of the flower-farm camps of Kasarani. Jimmy was able to attend both high school and university only due to generous scholarships, so he has a special appreciation for the value of academic assistance.

Jimmy oversees the day-to-day activities of TAFA. He formulates TAFA policies, ensures that they are implemented, and evaluates the effectiveness of TAFA programs. He is especially interested in strengthening the link between football and education, and the role that TAFA Community Center plays in boosting both of them. Jimmy graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. He says: “I want to see young people in the informal settlements forget the challenges they face by actively engaging in healthy activities that bring them joy, helping them avoid bad influences, stay in school and do well academically.”

Co-Founder & Finance Director

Born and raised in a family of 18 children from his father’s two wives, Bernard grew up in a life full of challenges. At times he had no lunch and no fees for school, and at one point when he should have been in eighth grade he worked for almost a year making charcoal to help support his family. However, Bernard never lost hope, or faith, believing that one day his life would change.

Now a full-time teacher in Kasarani, Barnard served as Christian Union Chairman in college, and later as an Agape guide and counselor, a football coach, and as a certified referee with Football Kenya Federation. He explains, “Remembering the pain of growing up in a community where children have no hope, I wanted to be some body who can give them hope and show them there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I was motivated to help start TAFA because I didn’t want to see children’s talent being wasted.”

Co-Founder & Programs Director

Like the other TAFA leaders, Sammy grew up in poverty in the village of Kasarani. He had a Mom who always believed in him, and overcame many challenges, becoming head of students in his high school and gaining a teaching certificate with a focus on psychology in college. Sammy taught in the local primary school for over 10 years, and his experience with children, along with his passion for seeing those from dysfunctional, addicted families be given the chance to grow and thrive, led him to join with others to found TAFA, volunteering his time to coach, obtaining certification as a referee with Football Kenya Federation, leading Bible-Based Life Skills sessions, and supporting other aspects of TAFA’s work.

He explains: “Disadvantaged young people need a place that they can call their own - a place where football skills can be be nurtured and their talent exposed to the world . . . a place where coaches are like fathers and have time to spend time with these kids, listening to them as they express their thoughts. That place is TAFA.”

Missions & Spiritual Nurture Director

Eric brings to TAFA his management experience from his role as a supervisor at a flower farm near Kasarani, where he manages 162 people. When TAFA was only a year old, Eric’s home became the meeting place for all TAFA’s activities. He was later asked to become both team photographer and doctor at all TAFA matches. Eric’s heart was deeply touched by the death of a boy from the community who had slipped through the cracks, spurring him to deepen his involvement with TAFA, hoping that such a tragedy would never happen again in Kasarani.

Eric studied information technology, and brings this knowledge to teach computer skills to vulnerable children at the TAFA community center. He also runs all of TAFA’s Bible studies, experiencing great joy from ministering God’s word to children. He says, “My heart melted, and I found my passion ministering God’s word to children and nourishing them spiritually. I strongly feel that this is my calling in TAFA.”

Girls Empowerment Director

Judith is a mother of four children, one boy and three girls. She grew up in poverty, regularly walking barefoot to school while hungry, sharing responsibility with her parents for raising her younger children. But she endured and overcame much hardship because of her strong faith.

While working in the community, Judith noticed the prevalence of early pregnancy and forced sex that many girls endured as a matter of course. She organized seminars for girls, trying to help them understand that their future can be bright, no matter their current situation, as long as they work hard on their education. Judith has become a strong advocate for women, a trait she brings to her role at TAFA, where she leads girls programming and serves as a mentor for the many girls who have recently joined TAFA. She explains, “I joined TAFA because of my passion for preventing early pregnancy, and to give girls hope and raise them in a Christian way.”