Birdies for good: Making a positive difference in society through sports by Nicholas Mundia
We can agree Sports is one of the most powerful tools for social cohesion and economic development globally. The fact that some of the most influential people in the world today are athletes speaks volumes about the pedestal that sport has in society. So why not use it to make a positive difference, beyond thrilling our hearts and minds from the games that we play or watch? That’s exactly what Absa Bank has done through a novel idea that is making a positive impact in communities around Kenya. Over the past 13 years, Absa Bank Kenya, in partnership with the Kenya Open Golf Limited, has invested in the Kenya Open tournament helping to transform it from a local golf event to a worldclass tournament, now firmly part of the prestigious DP World Tour. Popularly known as the Magical Kenya Open (MKO), the event attracts elite pro golfers from across the world. It not only boasts of a global broadcast to roughly 490 million avid golf fans but also doubles up as one of the most anticipated events in the lifestyle calendar. Amidst the glam and fanfare of the MKO, one pertinent question lingered. What more can Absa do to make a difference, beyond sponsoring the success of the event, bearing in mind the ravaging effect of the Covid 19 June - July 2022
pandemic on Kenyans? That question birthed the Birdies for Good campaign. A prime idea executed by Absa Bank Kenya, in collaboration with strategic communications firm Apex Porter Novelli, Birdies for Good is all about leveraging the power of Sports to make positive change in different spheres of society. The goal? Motivate amateur and pro golfers to perform well in the MKO and contribute to a worthy cause by scoring birdies.
Birdie? Allow to me explain. A “birdie” is a golf score of one stroke less than par on a hole. A player makes a birdie when he uses one fewer stroke than the par. (Par is the predetermined number of strokes that a proficient golfer should require to complete a hole, round, or tournament.)
The idea was very well-received by both partners and players. During the 2021 edition of the Magical Kenya Open, the Kenya Savannah Classic, Absa announced they would donate KES 1000 per birdie. The golfers did not disappoint and scored a total of 3824 birdies in both tourneys, raising KES 3.8 million. Inspired by the motive of the campaign, the European Tour, the global body that oversees the competition matched the donation shilling for shilling, raising the total contribution to KES. 8.8 million. The campaign was not over though. Prudently and democratically, Absa advertised a request to fund communitybased projects on social media. Once the project proposals came in, Absa colleagues and the public were invited to choose their preferred project via a Twitter poll, an opportunity to neutrally select the worthiest amongst the pool of different life-changing projects that would receive funding.
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