Josuha Guilavogui: The footballer who provides Guinean children with a loving home
When Josuha Guilavogui visited Guinea for the first time, he was shocked by the poverty he saw on the streets of the capital Conakry. So the footballer who’s played for AS Saint-Étienne, Átletico de Madrid, VFL Wolfsburg, Girondins de Bordeaux and 1. FSV Mainz decided to give something back to the country his parents were born. ‘’As a teenager, I swore to myself that I would give something back to people, if I achieve my dream to become a professional footballer,’’ says Guilavogui on the website of the Josuha Guilavogui Foundation.
In 2019, the now 33-year-old defensive midfielder put his resolution into practice and opened an orphanage in Guinea. The goal is to provide the children with a safe and loving home and a worry-free and better life and future. Currently, 21 kids are living in the orphanage in Conakry.
Not only do these children live in Guilavogui’s orphanage, but they also receive education. On weekdays the kids go to school. At the end of the day and on the weekends, fun and relaxation are prioritized and they can play on the football- and basketball courts and the large playground. Every Sunday, the orphanage also opens its doors to all children from the neighbourhood so they can enjoy the facilities.
‘’For me, this project is so very close to my heart,’’ says the footballer who’s been capped seven times for France. ‘’We offer our orphans a loving home, the opportunity to go to school and grow up in a healthy, safe environment. With us, the children can really still be children and have a real chance of a good and fulfilling life.’’
Josuha Guilavogui Foundation
For the first two years, Guilavogui covered all costs himself, but in 2021 he established the Josuha Guilavogui Foundation to allow for donations. The foundation aims to secure the orphanage’s work and the future of the children for the long term, even when the footballer’s career comes to an end.
Earlier this summer, French World Cup winner Paul Pogba also visited Guilavogui’s orphanage in Conakry.
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