Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an integral part for companies to impact positive change in society. Consumers feel attracted towards brands that give back to society which creates trust.
One brand that has stood out for the common wananchi in Kenya is Odibets. The betting firm has been at the heart of impacting positive change through supporting sports, music, talent, and youth in the country. This journalist takes a look at some of the works by Odibets in Kenya:
Charles Odongo aka #UgaliMan
The online community has in the recent past been awash with stories of Charles Odongo, now known as ugali man due to his exquisite skills in cooking feasting on the African delicacy.
For Odongo cooking ugali had been his favorite past time, thus it was common to find him at home having invited friends over for a meal as he showed them his comic theatrics that entailed him playing around with the ugali he had cooked.
“I love Ugali, this meal that Kenyans eat every day is what has made me reach where I am today,” said the overnight sensation that has been the talk of town ever since his ugali videos went viral.
Through their initiative Odimtaani, Odibets reached out to Mr. Odongo who had already been christened “Ugali man” by Kenyans.
“We decided to reach out to Charles Odongo as he had helped bring together Kenyans from all walks of life being the topic of discussion in every household,” said Odibets General manager Dedan Mungai.
Apart from being given an ambassadorial job by Odibets, Charles Odongo received a brand-new van and a fully equipped gym, completely changing his life.
Matasi hospital bill
A few months back, Harambee Stars goalkeeper Patrick Matasi and his family were involved in a grisly road accident and were hospitalized.
While Matasi and two other relatives were discharged from the hospital a few days after the accident, his wife and son remained behind as they had to undergo foot and shoulder surgeries respectively.
The former AFC Leopards shot-stopper who now plays for Ethiopia’s Saint George had earlier put up a paybill number appealing to Kenyans to help him offset the medical bill.
Through the Odimtaani initiative, Odibets partnered with Kenyan international footballer Michael Olunga’s Foundation and helped clear Matasi’s bill which included that of his family members.
“Matasi has always been a maestro on the pitch and when we heard about the accident that had occurred, we had to come out and help him,” said Odibets Country Marketing Manager Aggrey Sayi.
Otuoma medical bill
It has been a long journey for former AFC leopard’s striker Ezekiel Otuoma who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease early last year. Hospital visits had become the norm for him and forcing his family to set up a medical funds drive in a bid to raise money for his treatment.
Odibets, through their Odimtaani initiative, came through for the former Talanta FC playmaker by funding his full treatment of Ksh1.5 million in Germany, provide air tickets worth Ksh300,000 for him and his wife, and a further Sh200,000 to support the wife’s business.
Speaking to journalists, Odibets General manager Dedan Mungai said they had come to give a message of hope to the footballer ‘who once graced our Kenyan grounds’.
“Today we have visited Ezekiel to bring a message of hope to him and support him by paying his medical bill,” said Dedan Mungai.
Kitting programme
Early last year, Odibets launched a kitting programme under the Odimtaani initiative that saw more than 10,000 teams participating in the county leagues get kitted with football jerseys.
According to Odibet’s General Manager Dedan Mungai, the plan was to kit all teams participating in the various county leagues and so far, the programme has been a success as its impact has been felt all over the country.
“Teams at the grassroots level had been struggling to get proper equipment and kits. With the launch of the kitting programme we were able to kit several teams and this has gone a long way to boost and actualize the dreams of talented players in the country,” said Mr Dedan Mungai.
Late last year, Odibets offered a substantial financial boost to national football team Harambee Stars ahead of their crucial 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier matches thus being named the national team’s official motivational partners.
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