Ibrahim Kante, a longtime friend and supporter of One Global Village’s work in Mali, is the Founder and Manager of the Scoop Soccer Program. The Program was inspired by Ibrahim’s background and life path. Growing up in Bamako, soccer was the primary source of play and exercise for Ibrahim and his friends. Ibrahim recalls having a soccer ball made of plastic, and every day he and his friends looked for four big rocks to make gates to use as goals to play street soccer with as many kids as could be rounded up from the neighborhood. Ibrahim remembers Sunday’s inter-neighborhood games as the best moments of their lives.

Soccer opened a lot of doors for Ibrahim personally. It helped him travel to the United States and enabled him to get an athlete’s scholarship to attend college in the US. Ibrahim was an All-American player in college and went on to play professional soccer in the United States for the KC Comets. Now living in Olathe, KS, and married with three children, Ibrahim has been coaching soccer for over 15 years, currently in the Kansas City metro area. Ibrahim’s passion is soccer and coaching youth; they are his way of giving back to the community.

While visiting Dagabo with the OGV US team in January 2025, Ibrahim brought hundreds of donated jerseys, soccer balls, and equipment for students. In addition to the after-school soccer training, the new gear brought immense joy to the students and to their families who gathered at dusk to watch the games.