The Ivorian icon has been a man of numerous good deeds and has been credited with playing a vital role in bringing peace to his country. After the Ivory Coast qualified for the 2006 World Cup, Drogba and a number of other big names including the likes of Gervinho and the Toure brothers, made a desperate plea to the combatants, asking them to lay down their arms. Thankfully, the call for peace was answered with a cease-fire that ended five years of brutal civil war and saw Drogba named as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine.
Since, Drogba has set up The Didier Drogba Foundation in 2007 aiming to improve the lives of children in his native Ivory Coast, with a particular focus on medical care. The foundation has largely been funded by Drogba’s personal wealth, having donated £3 million from an endorsement with Pepsi, as well as all the profits made from his book, ‘Didier Drogba: The autobiography’ and his DVD, ‘The Incredible Destiny of Didier Drogba.’
Now his foundation is set to open a health clinic in Abidjan later this year with the next aim to fund a number of mobile clinics that will provide medical care to remote villages. Chelsea have also announced they too will donate to a very good cause.
Drogba, who celebrated his 37th birthday last week, had the following to say: ‘The clinic is nearly ready and now we are focusing on the equipment and staff to make sure we can be open and efficient as soon as possible.
‘Because the project has evolved, and grown, we are now focusing on reaching more people, so building mobile clinics which can be easily maintained and run. That will make a big difference and means you can go to help people in remote villages with no other access to healthcare.’
The two-time African player of the year will now be hosting his fourth charity ball in London, an event that will take place on Saturday 18th April at the Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, following Chelsea’s Premier League match against Manchester United, and the striker hopes to be celebrating a victory.
‘That would be the perfect night, let’s be optimistic, and it will be a great night,’ Drogba said. ‘I’m very lucky to have a lot of people supporting the project and I know we will have a good time and make people aware of the progress we are making.’ Prices for the Didier Drogba Foundation Charity Ball start at £495 per person.
