Isha Johansen

"Everything I have done in the past three and a half decades has been driven and motivated by a humanitarian vision. In the late 90s, I published the first in-flight magazine called Kabo, which promoted the beautiful side of Sierra Leone and was used by the National Tourist Board for promotion. I also initiated the first Women of Excellence Awards to recognize and celebrate women from all walks of life, especially in the aftermath of a bitter civil war which impacted women and children the most."

"I founded the Pink Charity Fund, a breast cancer awareness program providing screening facilities to women with low income."

"Besides,And then came football. Football has always been a part of my background, but projects like the Women of Excellence Awards and the Pink Charity Fund were more visible."

"The FC Johansen story is one of the most powerful and inspirational stories, especially in using football as a tool for change. It involved underprivileged kids from the streets having trials in famous football clubs. This is just a natural progression for me as these initiatives are aligned with my humanitarian vision."

"Football for Change and Reform is no different from all the other projects that I have embarked on. It uses football to empower the girls; it is about rehabilitation, transforming their lives to get them back into society. Through football, we all come together. This is the power of our beautiful game."

"I didn’t know about the political structures.I didn’t know what it was to build a career as a football administrator to becoming an FA president or anything like that, let alone FIFA."

"These were just displaced kids as a result of the war in the neighborhood, and all I wanted to do was to get these boys off the streets at night, get them at home where they should be, get them off the streets in the morning and during the day, put them in school where they should be."

"For me, it was very obvious that they lived and dreamed for their football, so that was my focus, and this was all I was about."

"David Beckham’s coming to Sierra Leone and these boys meeting him wearing the FC Johansen shirt with a number seven, Beckham, all of that was just an amazing time for us. The kids were amazing and then I realized that, you know what? This is so powerful, we could actually change our story in a big way, in a bigger way."

"It became a big reality,.and I think that was the time it dawned on me that, you know, I think I can actually do something really big for my country through football."