HURACAN FC MUKURU NAIROBI (KENYA)

Biochemistry graduate from Kenyatta University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Mount Kenya University, Collins combines his academic background with a deep passion for transforming lives through football.

Born and raised in a village in Western Kenya, Collins grew up with limited resources but was shaped by a pivotal moment: the gift of a synthetic ball from his father, which changed the trajectory of his life. In 2021, driven by a desire to give back, Collins joined Teach for Kenya as a teacher leader in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, an urban slum in Nairobi.

Here, he encountered children facing overwhelming challenges: absent parents focused on survival, communities plagued by alcoholism, crime, and overcrowded classrooms where individual needs often go unmet. Collins, who shared similar childhood struggles, realized that the obstacles in urban slums were even greater than those he faced growing up.

Motivated by his own story and the transformative power of a ball, Collins founded Mukuru Shujaa, a registered non-profit that empowers young people through football training, family festivals, and life skills mentorship.

As the founder of Huracán FC Mukuru Nairobi, Collins creates safe, fun-filled spaces where young people are inspired to attend school, develop their football skills, and improve their well-being under the guidance of child-friendly coaches. Through targeted mentorship and life skills programs, these children gain the leadership skills and resilience they need to build a brighter future for themselves and their community.

"A ball changed my life. Now, I use football to empower children, showing them that education, leadership, and teamwork can transform their futures."

In his free time, Collins enjoys learning new things, eating good food, and staying active through physical exercise.

HURACAN FC MUHEEM (INDIA)

With a background in economics and extensive experience leading programmes at Muheem – Ek Sarthak Prayas, Vaishnavi is dedicated to empowering marginalized rural communities in Uttar Pradesh through education, leadership, and skill-building initiatives.

During her time as a Teach For India Fellow, Vaishnavi witnessed firsthand the transformative power of consistency and leading with love. This experience opened her eyes to the pressing need for creating safe spaces for children, particularly in rural areas where challenges are immense and opportunities are scarce. Determined to take action, she committed herself to working in underserved communities to bring about lasting change.

At the heart of Huracan FC Muheem is Vaishnavi’s passion for sports and community transformation. Growing up in a sport-loving family, she always dreamed of combining her love for sports with her desire to make a social impact.

This project focuses on uplifting young girls aged 8 to 18 from historically oppressed communities, such as the Musahars and Dalits, who face systemic gender and caste-based discrimination. Football becomes a powerful tool to instill confidence, teamwork, and leadership, breaking societal barriers and promoting gender equality.

“Football is more than just a game here; it’s a vehicle for empowerment and social transformation. We’re not just building athletes—we’re nurturing future leaders who will challenge norms and inspire change in their communities”.

HURACAN FC LAREÑITAS (PERU)

Brando is a student, teacher, and passionate promoter of existential leadership, believing in an education that doesn’t judge but instead integrates students' unique ways of living and thinking. This philosophy led him to join Enseña Perú and dedicate his life to creating meaningful change.

Brando thrives on leading projects that accelerate learning while making a positive impact. From initiatives in agriculture to exploring artificial intelligence, his professional journey has been marked by curiosity and a commitment to growth. Now, through football, he embarks on an exciting new challenge.

At the heart of Huracán FC Lareñitas is Brando’s goal to empower young girls in their first and second years of secondary school, helping them develop essential personal leadership skills. Starting with the challenges they face at home, the project gradually addresses the deeper existential issues these students encounter during adolescence, offering them tools to navigate their realities with confidence and purpose.

"You don't need to be the president of your country to transform it."

The project works with girls aged 12 to 13 in the Laramarca District. Alongside Brando, the team includes a teacher with football coaching experience, a community member engaged in sports initiatives, and the students themselves. Together, they strive to create a space where these young girls can build leadership skills, pursue their dreams, and inspire others in their community.

HURACAN FC M-LISADA (UGANDA)

Carol holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts with Education from Kyambogo University and is an alumna of the Teach for Uganda Fellowship.

Her passion for creating impact led her to co-found Literacy Beyond Boundaries, an initiative focused on providing contextually relevant reading materials for underprivileged children and mentoring teachers on effective literacy practices. Her outstanding contributions at St. Jude Muwangi Primary School earned her the Distinguished Fellow Award from Teach for Uganda in 2019.

Currently, Carol serves as the Head Teacher of M-LISADA Passion Primary School. She uses football and music as tools to promote well-being and healing among her students, creating spaces where children can thrive both emotionally and academically.

As the leader of Huracán FC M-LISADA Uganda, her goals for the project are ambitious and impactful:

1) Finalize a detailed manual outlining emotional stability strategies integrated into football sessions

2) Conduct weekly football and emotional stability sessions at M-LISADA Passion Primary School, ensuring active participation from at least 90% of students

3) Expand outreach to 500 children across five private schools through targeted programs

4) Organize six competitive football games (three internal and three external) to showcase children’s skills, foster teamwork, and build emotional resilience

“Football is more than a game; it’s a powerful tool for healing, empowerment, and education. My goal is to help children discover their potential, build resilience, and create brighter futures for themselves and their communities”.

HURACAN FC PANTERAS (PORTUGAL)

Originally from Brazil, Letícia holds a degree in Biomedical Sciences and moved to Portugal to pursue a Master’s in Innovation in Education at the University of Lisbon. Her passion for educational innovation and promoting equity drives her work, and she is dedicated to creating meaningful change through football.

At Escola Básica do Vale da Amoreira (EBVA), a multicultural school serving communities from diverse backgrounds, Huracán FC Panteras was founded. The team reflects the school’s cultural richness, with players from Portugal, Cape Verde, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé, Brazil, Mozambique, and Senegal.

But this project is about far more than football. Letícia has created a space that tackles critical social issues like menstrual health education, gender equality, and citizenship. Boys are actively invited to participate as allies, fostering respect and empowering the role of girls in a sport traditionally dominated by men. The club also combats violence, racism, and cultural divides, uniting the community through a shared love of football.

“My goal is to support these girls in their journeys while encouraging boys to become allies. Together, we are building a community that shows football is a powerful tool to promote equality, respect, and hope. In the end, football is just the beginning. Here, we are building a community rooted in equality and friendship”.

When she’s not leading this incredible initiative, Letícia enjoys playing football herself and participating in projects that drive social innovation in education.

HURACAN FC ECATEPEC (MEXICO)

Rocío graduated from National Autonomous University of Mexico with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and has a Master’s degree in Leadership and Education from Teach for Mexico.

Rocío is a math, literacy and science K12 teacher at the Smurfit Kappa’s Community Center in Ecatepec, State of Mexico. She has been more than four years working through different educational and cultural activities in different communities at Ecatepec. She is committed to work in the development of soft/leadership and scientific skills in its youngest members.

With her project, Huracan FC Ecatepec México, she wants that girls learn skills that empower them to face the difficulties in their context, in order to achieve better opportunities that improves their quality of life. Also, she hopes these girls become leaders in their community so they can inspire others to transform their reality.

“My goal is that girls in Ecatepec empower themselves and others through football and by learning that girls and women are able to participate, lead and achieve their own goals and dreams”.

In her spare time, Rocío enjoys walking in nature, watching documentaries and doing activism for animal rights.

HURACAN FC MONTE ADENTRO (ARGENTINA)

Juan holds a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering.

In his final year of high school, Juan discovered his calling to serve others. The school he attended invited him to a mission trip to Chaco, and that experience left a lasting impact on him. During his industrial engineering studies, he continued to visit the same communities alongside a group of missionary friends.

In 2014, he made the decision to move to Chaco and establish "Monte Adentro". Until now, they have established more than 20 weekly educational support spaces for children, youths, and adults, along with 10 sports-related spaces and an additional 16 spaces dedicated to training and integration through workshops for adults. Moreover, +100 children attend the educational support programs, and +150 mothers participate in vocational training workshops.

His goal with his project is to promote the comprehensive development of rural communities in the Chaco mountains through socio-community projects that achieve the genuine rights and aspirations of families, generated through community bonding, participation, and integration.

"To transform a place, you have to do it from within. You need to stay and build trust. Once you're there, it's easier to identify where the needs and structural injustices lie".

In his spare time he loves watching sports and having time with his wife and son.

HURACAN FC GIRLS OF THUNDER (ZIMBABWE)

Linia holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Great Zimbabwe University and a post graduate diploma in education from Bindura University of Science Education. She is also currently pursuing a degree in social work with Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University.

She is a self motivated, ambitious, creative and target driven team player. Her excellent interpersonal communication and organisational skills, and passion for transforming lives has led to the formation of an NGO namely African Young Abused and Abandoned Mothers (AYAAM) where she is assisting young ladies who became victims of sexual abuse.

As a founder of the Huracan FC Chiredzi Girls of Thunder, a team that consists of girls from Chiredzi Christian High school and girls of school going age that are not enrolled in school. Her idea is to create a safe space for girls and keep them busy, distracting them from following social evils like drug abuse and sexual activities. Her objective is to increase girl child participation in school activities so as to boost their self confidence and self esteem. Also, Linia aims to improve girl child performance in the academic arena and increase girl child enrollment in secondary schools.

During her spare time Linia loves watching soccer and is a hard core fan of Manchester United.

HURACAN FC SKY GIRL (UGANDA)

Willy has a Bachelor’s in Management Science and I majored in Project Management from Kyambogo University, Kampala Uganda.

While at the university, he actively engaged in students Leadership and served in various positions including Guild Minister of Academics and Professional Affairs (Education), President and Councilor of Government Sponsored Students among other pioneering positions in the “societies” I initiated.

Also, during his Degree Study, he founded a CBO called MOYAWEA based in Lamwo District that was focused at training children at schools with public speaking and other soft skills that later improved the confidence in the learners and built a culture of public speaking through debates preparation and competition. Through the same CBO, he also implemented a “Youth and Women Empowerment Project” that skilled at least 35 young girls who had dropped out of school in 2019 with knowledge and skills of tailoring and beads design making.

The main goal of this project is to reduce the rate of school dropout in order to increase school completion rate from 38% to 75%, mentorship and counselling against drug addiction and alcoholism, and to implement a system of menstrual health and reusable pads.

“My ambitious vision is to develop an organization that has a nationwide network across most rural unprivileged primary schools where football is used as a tool to keep both boys and girls at school till they complete their primary level of education”.

In his spare time, Willy loves to play football and volleyball.

HURACAN FC CASTILLA (PERU)

José has a Bachelor’s in History and Cultural Management from the University of Piura and he stands out for his passion for education. Currently, he is pursuing a master's degree in Educational Management to further his academic growth.

With over 4 years of experience in teaching, including a year with Teach for Peru in Castilla-Piura, Jose has faced complex social challenges such as violence and drug addiction affecting young people.

This inspired him to create the Huracan FC Castilla Piura project, with the mission of creating spaces, providing resources, and establishing the necessary conditions for young people to play football and thus steer them away from the surrounding violence.

"Our dream is to provide a safe environment for young people to play football and distance themselves from violence".

In his free time, he enjoys football, cycling, and spending time with his family.

HURACAN FC ABEOKUTA (NIGERIA)

Etim-Etim is recently graduated as a Teach for Nigeria fellow. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education.

He is a result-driven entry-level economist and educator, experienced in financial and statistical analysis, report writing, discrete mathematics, research and presentation, with a demonstrated interest in identifying key economic trends and a proven track record of consistently improving performance through strategic planning and organization.

As the founder of the "Ballcation Foundation", he increased the numeracy and literacy rates by over 60% within a cluster of 147 adolescent footballers in an underserved community.

With his project, Huracán FC Abeokuta-Nigeria, he hopes to initiate a social change initiative for underserved public schools in low-income Nigerian communities, using football as a means to improve academic and non-academic outcomes among young people between 7-18 years of age and equip them with enterprise skills relevant for this day and age. The project incorporates footballing activities into learning cycles to coach and mentor the learners.

Using his Theory of Change Model, he hopes to achieve an 80% graduation and promotion rate of learners to the next class, eradicate period poverty, and ultimately provide young people involved in the project with lifelong skills that will serve as a tool for self-reliance.

"My personal expectation is to upscale the project to reach out to more young people, not limited to just the Ita-Iyalode community, with the desire that 'one day, every Nigerian child can gain the opportunity to attain an excellent education'".

In his spare time, Etim-Etim plays football (he is a goalkeeper), loves listening to music, and is a hardcore fan of Manchester United.

HURACAN FC EDUGIRLS (NIGERIA)

Obasanjo is graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Business Administration from Adekunle Ajasin University in Ondo State, Nigeria.

He has extensive experience in project management and social entrepreneurship, having worked for non-governmental organizations and international organizations such as Teach For Nigeria and T4 Education (a global organization committed to providing engaging tools, initiatives, and events for teachers to improve education).

He also founded an NGO called Brace-up The Young, a youth-led organization focused on educating and mentoring young people in Nigeria to become innovative and accountable leaders.

Already, Obasanjo has trained 425 young people in soft/leadership skills, educated 1,763 students in five Nigerian states on quality education and global goals, and provided learning materials to 298 children in slums and low-income communities in Ogun and Lagos states.

With his project, Huracan FC EduGirls Nigeria, the main objectives are to increase girls' retention rate in school, improve learning outcomes for girls, empower indigent girls with football and leadership skills, and increase the self-esteem of indigent girls in Ogun state.

"I use football as a tool to provide a safe learning space for indigent girls in Ogun state by training them in sport and leadership skills."

In his spare time, Obasanjo enjoys traveling, watching football, reading, and watching good historical movies.

HURACAN FC KALONGO (UGANDA)

Phiona graduated from Kampala International University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and joined Teach For Uganda, where she worked as a teacher leader in rural primary schools in the Mayuge District.

After two years, Phiona graduated from Teach for Uganda as an outstanding fellow. She then became an instructor at a girls-only boarding school, which provides educational opportunities for young women who were abducted and held captive by the Lord’s Resistance Army. It was here that she witnessed the trauma and injustices that many of the girls experienced.

Since October 2022, Phiona has been an Education Coach at War Child Uganda, based at Imvepi Refugee Settlement.

With her project, Huracan FC Kalongo Uganda, Phiona aims to provide a safe space for children and mothers to express themselves and brainstorm solutions to challenges in their communities. Additionally, she hopes that teens involved in the project will act as ambassadors to educate others on the potential effects of early pregnancy.

“Through this football connection, we can encourage children to return to school. If we achieve that, our dream will come true.”

In her spare time, Phiona enjoys doing charity work and spending time with young people.

HURACAN FC TIZIMÍN (MEXICO)

Briselba holds a degree in Public Accounting from the Autonomous University of Yucatan. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Education and has experience in financial literacy development, entrepreneurship, and project development.

Actually, teaches at a secondary school in Tizimín, Yucatán, Mexico.

Her son has autism and whilst exploring hobbies for him to participate in, it soon became clear that there are no extracurricular sports and recreational programs available in Tizimín for children with autism.

Her project, Huracán FC Tizimín Mexico, aims to create spaces, resources, and the necessary conditions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to practice soccer as a playful and therapeutic activity, with supervised support from local student leaders. The goal is to promote their inclusion and expand their social skills, learn values, foster a sense of belonging, strengthen their motor coordination ability, social skills, tolerance for frustration, and their physical and emotional health. In turn, this project also aims to help parents and family members cope with the enormous challenges and sacrifices involved in raising children with autism, as it absorbs a lot of time. They will be able to meet other parents in similar circumstances and have a point of release.

“My personal goal is to provide more opportunities for boys and girls by promoting inclusion in society.”

On her spare time, she likes to swim, travel with her son and spend quality time with him, be in touch with nature, and lead a healthy lifestyle, as she uses a prosthetic leg to walk and every day she proves to herself that this is not a limitation.

HURACAN FC TUKYO’M (MEXICO)

Desiderio holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico. He also has a master's degree in Leadership and Education from Enseña por México (Teach for Mexico).

He has more than 7 years of experience in social services in the communities of Sierra Norte de Puebla, Mexico, and 2 years with Enseña por México in La Paz Baja California Sur.

Whilst teaching in the State of Mexico, Desi witnessed the negative impact of substance abuse on children. These circumstances affected their daily attitude towards learning and their performance, as well as their personal relationships and socio-emotional skills.

His project, Huracan FC Tukyo’m Mexico, aims to help children move away from addiction by using football as a tool to improve themselves.

“Our desire is that through this program, our students can create a meaningful life project with well-defined values and ideas.”

In his spare time, Desi enjoys listening to music, watching football, and playing basketball.

HURACAN FC JHAMTSE GATSAL CHILDREN’S (INDIA)

Tenzin has a master's degree in Geography.

He has over 12 years of experience as a Geography and Political Science teacher in Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India.

Tenzin has vivid memories of the woman who gave him his first football in the refugee settlement where he grew up. It was through football that he learned discipline and commitment. Now, he is determined to help children learn similar lessons through football.

His project, Huracán FC Jhamtse Gatsal Children's, is inspired by the movie "Coach Carter", with the idea of helping kids from very challenging backgrounds learn discipline and commit to their studies. Similar to the movie, he makes them sign a contract in which they have to achieve academic targets to be part of the football team.

“I thought of using football as a tool to make children work on these areas.”

In his spare time, Tenzin loves to travel by bicycle. He once traveled more than 9,000 km on motorbike for 35 days.!

HURACAN FC BWIBULA (UGANDA)

Winnie recently graduated from Teach For Uganda, having taught Maths at Bwiwula Primary school for two years. During her placement she set up a football club for the children and after seeing the impact it had on the children’s lives, she is now looking forward to having the support of The Huracan Foundation to help take her project to the next stage.

HURACAN FC TESO (UGANDA)

Charles is an alumni of Teach For Uganda. At his placement school he introduced a number of new sports activities which encouraged the children to come to school regularly and the number of pupils attending regularly increased from 71 to 256 during the course of the year.

EDU BALL (UGANDA)

Kenneth has obtained a Bachelor's degree in Education from the Valley University of Science and Technology in Uganda.

He became a primary school maths teacher in Aurora Muangi in Central Uganda through the Teach for Uganda fellowship programme.

In addition to his teaching role, he is also an instructor for robotics and science at Fundi Bots, an organization that promotes science education for several children across Africa.

Football gave him a real focus as he was growing up and really instilled a drive in him to be successful. He now hopes to impart this passion in the pupils at his school.

“Our mission is to provide a safe and supportive enviroment through football that equips the student with the skills they need to succeed in school and thereafter become leaders with the ability to solve thair vast challenges”.

In his spare time, Kenneth has a passion for science and technology and enjoys building robots at home. He is currently working on a talking robot that utilizes open AI to interact with humans using voice commands.

Additionally, he enjoys watching movies, with his favorite being The Shawshank Redemption.

HURACAN FC ISIKIRO (UGANDA)

Andrew obtained a Bachelor's degree in Microfinance from Kyambogo University and is currently pursuing a post-graduate degree in Monitoring and Evaluation.

He possesses skills in project planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects, community mobilisation, and engagement. He has also collaborated with three well-known non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in remote areas to deliver programs related to education, livelihoods, and health. Recently, he has acquired a new position as a project officer with Komo Learning Centres, an NGO that focuses on education.

Andrew teaches English, Social Studies and Numeracy at Isikiro Primary School in Uganda’s Mayuge District as a Teach For Uganda fellow, having previously worked in finance. After joining Teach for Uganda he was inspired by Ken’s work in Muwangi, so he applied to run a similar football project at his school.

“I wanted to use football as a Catalyst to advance educational outcomes of my pupils through solving issues like school dropout, truancy mental health and period poverty.”

HURACAN FC KANYABWINA (UGANDA)

Denise has a bachelor's degree in arts with education from Makerere University where she majored in teaching literature and English language.

Denise is an English and Maths teacher at St. Kizito Kanyabwina Primary School as a Teach For Uganda fellow.

Football was a hugely positive influence on Denise's childhood, helping her make friends, build her confidence, and encourage school attendance. Denise is passionate about passing this on to the next generation of girls in her school.

Her project, Huracan FC Kanyabwina Uganda, is mainly about helping girls stay in school through football training activities and football club activities, hoping to see more girls attend and complete school.

"So far only 4 out of 10 girls that join school in my community complete school. I would like to see this number increase by 20% and a 30% decrease in teenage pregnancy cases in schools."

In her spare time, Denise loves running, swimming, and touring.