Your support changes lives
Karanba is an institution founded in 2006, in Rio de Janeiro, by former Norwegian football player Tommy Nilsen. It arose from the desire to use football and education to reduce inequalities and advance social inclusion. Since then, we have helped more than 10,000 children and adolescents on the way to a better life.
Our Philosophy
Our philosophy is to use football, education, and discipline in combination to realize hope, dreams, and change lives. Using football as a tool, Karanba assists a large number of children and young people from slum areas in personal development, education, and self-realization.
We focus on preparing our participants for life through daily attitude-building work to shape 'whole individuals' for the future. Karanba brings together and engages people in a tough everyday life strongly marked by crime and drug trafficking
Football
Karanba welcomes all football lovers, and provides the first shirt for many young dreamers. With commitment and dedication, they defend Karanba's colors in local and international competitions. We train, develop, and play, and believe that sport is an effective agent of social transformation.
Education
Daily classes at our main base in Rio de Janeiro with homework assistance, Portuguese, math, and English lessons in line with our strategy 'Inspire to choose education!'
Gender and race equity
We defend equal opportunity for everyone, to be able to build an egalitarian and fair society.
At Karanba, key initiatives are developed to promote black women's social well-being and empowerment.
Psychosocial
One eye on the ball and the other on socio-emotional skills. At Karanba, psychology and social services come into play to provide young students and their families with support and actions that promote mental health and food security in the community.
Sustainability and Environment
With fun activities and creative projects, we introduce our participants to the world of sustainability. Always highlighting the need to look at environmental preservation and the impacts that human actions may have on our planet.
The Base
Karanba is based in Vista Alegre, São Gonçalo, Brazil, one of the country's largest impoverished areas near Rio de Janeiro. São Gonçalo, with approximately 1.2 million inhabitants, suffers from severe poverty and limited access to public services, including health and education. The area also features slums controlled by drug cartels, prompting Karanba's relocation there in 2011.
São Gonçalo is among Rio's poorest areas, with many favelas characterized by simple living conditions and inadequate infrastructure. Due to high housing prices in Rio, many end up in these areas.
Favela residents live in basic conditions with high unemployment and limited access to health and sanitation services. Drug cartels control most of the favelas, and children and young people face challenges with poor education and increased violence. Karanba works to provide hope to these young individuals and improve their future.
Vocational training
Motivating, preparing, and qualifying our participants for a sustainable life is perhaps the most important task for Karanba. This includes guiding and inspiring our participants to find career choices that they will enjoy and succeed in and providing opportunities for specific training in various professions and fields.
In collaboration with, among others, the non-profit organization DreamLearnWork, we offer professional and skill-building courses at SENAI and other educational institutions in various practical fields for our participants.
We are proud that today we have many examples of participants who are in decent jobs with our sponsors and various other companies in Brazil. Our overarching goal is that the time our participants spend at Karanba should be a stepping stone to a better future – and not the highlight of their lives.