Welcome to Afrikicks
Our purpose at Afrikicks is to provide basic necessities of shoes and clean water to vulnerable communities in Africa and abroad, which is only possible with your kind support.
Afrikicks 4th Annual Gala
Join us on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood for the 4th Annual Afrikicks Gala, a night where elegance meets impact. The Gala honors extraordinary changemakers who embody creativity, compassion, and community leadership.
We’re working towards a brighter future where every child gets access to essential and basic necessities of shoes and clean water.
About Afrikicks
Our mission is to supply sustainability to under-resourced communities by providing access to clean water, while collecting and distributing new and gently worn shoes throughout Africa to help eradicate infections.
Our vision is to build sustainable and impactful futures for those living in extreme poverty. Ubuntu: Universal Bond of Sharing and caring for each other.
We Are Grateful for Your Support
Every year we collect more shoes than the previous years. Your donation goes towards the cost of storage, shipment and local transportation of the shoes from village to village. With your help we continuously offer relief and foster talents. Please contact afrikicksmission@gmail.com if you would like to partner with us.
Afrikicks was founded in 2014 by humanitarian Oumarou Idrissa.
After seeking asylum in the United States, Oumarou began collecting and sending gently worn shoes back to his village in Niger. His love for soccer and the opportunity it gave him inspired a broader mission to help children across Africa and Central America. Oumarou was honoured with the ONNI OF IFE LEADERSHIP AWARD, presented by the King of Nigeria.
So far, Oumarou and Afrikicks have:
- Delivered over 355,000 pairs of shoes.
- Distributed more than 1.6 million essential items; including food, clothing, educational materials, health and sports equipment, and agricultural resources.
- Developed programs for free access to clean water, sports development, and targeted community campaigns.
Over 200 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to safe drinking water.
Lack of access to universal needs like food, water, shelter, shoes, clothes, and basic necessities prevents millions of children from living healthy, purposeful lives. Infrastructure for youth development—especially through sports—is scarce or nonexistent in many rural regions. Many of the villages Afrikicks serves have an average population of 6,000 to 30,000, and have gone 30–45 years without access to clean water.
The Solution
Clean Water for Life
Since 2019, Afrikicks has built 21 water wells in 3 African countries, now scaling efforts to provide free lifetime access to clean water for over 20 million people in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
Essential Supplies:
- Since 2015, Afrikicks has donated over 355,000 pairs of shoes, 1.3 million basic necessities, and toys to 8 African countries, Cuba, and Skid Row in Los Angeles.
- Visited and supplied 53 orphanages with essential aid.
Youth Development through Soccer:
- Hosted 200,000 children in soccer tournaments.
- Donated 25,000 medals, 2,800 soccer balls, and 150 trophies.
We are working tirelessly to ensure 50 million people have access to clean water by 2030.
Our philosophy is “Ubuntu,” which is a belief in the universal bond of sharing and the principle of caring for each other’s well-being. It is our responsibility as humans to watch over and take care of each other. Lack of access to universal needs like food, water, shelter, shoes, clothes, and basic necessities prevents millions of children from living healthy, purposeful lives.
Furthering the Mission
We are Launching the Afrikicks Soccer Academy in Niger
This is the first academy of its kind in Niger and its surrounding countries. The academy not only trains future professionals in soccer but also provides them with a strong academic education.
We are providing scholarships, room and board to youth aged 14–16, to give them the opportunity to be taught, coached, and mentored to become the next professionals.
We are building Basketball Courts for Opportunity
In communities where Afrikicks has built water wells the undeveloped land holds the potential for transformation.
Building basketball courts on these sites creates a safe, structured space for activities, physical development, and community building.
Basketball fosters discipline, teamwork, leadership, and confidence, just like soccer—but offers alternative pathways for youth with different athletic talents.
Courts can double as community hubs for mentorship, life skills training, and outreach—especially in areas with no recreational infrastructure.
GET INVOLVED
There are many ways to support Afrikicks!
As the years go by, we have expanded and gained enormous support. Together we can transform the lives of children who don’t possess basic necessities, which they see as luxuries. Donating your time, shoes and money can allow us to continue to operate and eventually help kids all around the world, not just in African countries.
Give Shoes and Other Essential Items
All year round we continuously accept gently worn shoes and brand new shoes, toys, socks, underwear, school supplies, clothing, medical supplies etc. to children and young adults in Africa. Send us your new or gently-worn sneakers or purchase new sneakers for a child today 3 pairs = $100 USD
Our Drop Off Location is Located in Los Angeles.
12618 Yukon Hawthorne CA 90250 or email us at afrikicksmission@gmail.com
Host a Shoe Drive
Help us collect as many shoes as possible by hosting a shoe drive. Tell your friends and family about this cause to offer relief to children and adults affected by extreme poverty. Times are forever changing and everyone has shoes they haven’t worn for a while. Round up you and your friends and be the change we wish to see in the world.
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
Volunteer with Us
We are always seeking volunteers to help with packing and manual labour. We need volunteers all year round at our warehouses to help process, sort and pack donated products. Anyone with a willingness to serve can help. It is a perfect activity for the youth, school, church or community group!
Contact us to Join our next trip
VOLUNTEER coaches
We are seeking Volunteer Coaches to help in supervising volunteers and processing. If you are interested in serving as a Volunteer Coach please contact us at info@afrikicks.com and one of our team members will be in touch.
Partner With Us
Since 2014, Afrikicks have been collecting and donating shoes to people stricken by extreme poverty in Niger, West Africa. We are seeking partners with the same mission and vision to share in our efforts of transforming lives in the villages of Africa.
Our partners include TV and radio stations, corporations, churches, other non-profit organizations and many others. Are you an individual with influence, a media company, a corporation or a non-profit organization with a similar mission? Contact us, partner with us. Share our efforts of transforming the lives of people stricken by extreme poverty living in the villages of Africa.
PARTNER WITH AFRIKICKS
Please contact afrikicksmission@gmail.com
Donate
Because of you we are able to transform the lives of people affected by extreme poverty and living in the most rural areas of Africa. Donate and help us continue our mission. No donation amount is too small. Your generosity helps us deliver shoes, water and food.Your donation allows us to continue with this valuable mission of transforming the lives of children who are most vulnerable. With your help we continuously offer relief and foster talents.
MAKE A DONATION
One-time, Monthly, Yearly
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