How Emirati Traveller Brings Hope To Orphans In 49 Countries Through Football

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Through his initiative ‘Beyond the Boundaries of Football’, Salem Al Karbi spends his holidays travelling to some of the world’s toughest places to organise matches and deliver sports gear for vulnerable children

By: Haneen Dajani

While driving through a remote area in the Solomon Islands, Emirati traveller Salem Al Karbi watched in confusion as his driver suddenly began pleading with a man who had stopped their vehicle.

“At first I didn’t understand what was happening,” he recalled. The exchange lasted several tense minutes before the man eventually allowed them to continue their journey.

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Only afterwards did the driver explain the reason for his desperation: the area was home to a tribe historically known for cannibalism.

It was one of many surreal moments Al Karbi has experienced while travelling across the world - not as a thrill-seeker, but as someone carrying football jerseys and trophies for children. Through his initiative ‘Beyond the Boundaries of Football’, he has visited orphanages and vulnerable communities in 49 countries, organising friendly matches and distributing sports gear to children living in some of the world’s most difficult environments. But the unusual journey began with a single trip more than 15 years ago.

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It all started when Al Karbi boarded a plane to Somalia in 2009. At the time, he was 24, loved football, and had never travelled to a country in conflict before. But he packed a suitcase with football jerseys, trophies and sports equipment, determined to organise a match for children.“I went to Somalia and the world was at war,” he recalled.“I came with a strange idea: to play football with the children.” That spontaneous trip became the seed for Beyond the Boundaries of Football.

Al Karbi says the idea began after he realised how something as small as a football jersey could bring extraordinary joy.“When I saw the happiness of the children, how a poor child in a ruined country could be so happy with a simple gift, I couldn’t imagine that level of joy,” he said.“In our countries, a child handed the same gift might just throw it away. But there, it means everything.”

From that moment, he decided to keep travelling and repeat the experience wherever he could. What began as a one-off trip slowly evolved into a structured programme. Since 2014, Al Karbi says he has tried to visit seven or eight countries each year, organising football events, bringing sports gear, and distributing toys for children who prefer other activities.“I bring jerseys, balls and cups so every child can feel like a winner,” he said.“Even the team that loses, I don’t want them to feel sad.”

Adventures in the world’s most unlikely places

The journeys have taken him far beyond traditional tourist routes. He has organised football activities in countries across Africa, Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia and Uganda.

Some trips have come with extraordinary stories. In Zimbabwe, he discovered that the football field where children were playing had a resident snake.“We were playing in the suburbs, and they told me there was an anaconda under the ground,” he said.“I ran away, but they said it was normal there.”

In Africa, he once woke up to find a lion outside his hotel window.“It’s normal to see a lion in front of your window,” he said with a laugh.“I actually saw one.”

In Brazil, he ventured into a favela neighbourhood where locals later told him he was lucky to leave safely.“When I told the hotel staff where I had organised the event, they asked: ‘How did you get out alive?’”

Despite the risks, he says these trips have changed how he views life.“When you travel like this, you see how people live and how they smile even with very little,” he said.“It makes you appreciate the blessings you have.”

Football after a historic peace deal

One of the most meaningful trips came after a diplomatic breakthrough in the Horn of Africa. Following a peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, brokered with support from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Al Karbi travelled to the region to organise a football event for local children.

The match brought together youngsters from communities that had long lived under the shadow of conflict.“It was special to play football there after peace was achieved,” he said, adding that sport can help build bridges where politics once divided people.

Moments that made him cry

Among the many places he visited, one experience still stays with him. Seven years ago, he visited a domestic violence shelter in North Macedonia. Many of the children there had no family contact and had rarely received visitors.“When I arrived, they were surprised. No one had visited them before.”

At first the children were hesitant. Then they began to approach him.“They started touching me, trying to understand my reaction,” he recalled.“When they realised someone had come to play with them, they were so happy.” The moment was overwhelming.“It made me cry,” he said.“They hugged me like they had never received tenderness in their lives, and when I attempted to leave, they clung to me sobbing heartfully. That made me cry.”

Another emotional moment came during a visit to a children’s cancer hospital in Egypt, Children’s Cancer Hospital 57357. The children were too sick to play football, so Al Karbi improvised.“I gave them a cup, a shirt, a ball - sports equipment.” One mother approached him after seeing her child smile.“She was laughing and crying at the same time,” he recalled.“She was happy that her son received such a simple gift.”

A football fan with unusual ideas

Al Karbi’s creative streak extends beyond his charity work. A supporter of Al Wasl Club, he once set a record recognised by Guinness World Records for creating the longest sports scarf, stretching one kilometre. Originally, the global record required a 33-kilometre scarf costing nearly Dh1 million to produce. Instead, he proposed a new category, a sports scarf, which allowed him to complete the project with a 1km design costing around Dh10,000.

Another unusual moment came when he spent nine months negotiating to send a football jersey to former US president Barack Obama. Eventually, he received confirmation through the US Embassy that the gift had been accepted and delivered to the White House – Khaleej Times saw a copy of the letter.

Turning holidays into missions

By day, Al Karbi works in business development at a government entity. But most of his annual leave is dedicated to the football initiative.“My holidays are all for these trips.” The 41-year-old says he has spent Eid holidays abroad almost every year for more than a decade carrying out the activities.“The most important thing for me is the children’s happiness,” he said.

The project is continuing to evolve. In 2024, Al Karbi announced a new initiative in Dubai to organise football leagues inside prisons, allowing inmates to participate in structured tournaments.

Recently, Al Karbi formally proposed taking his initiative to the UAE’s floating hospital in Rafah, where injured Palestinian children have been receiving treatment during the war in the Gaza Strip.“If the opportunity comes, I want to go there and organise something for the children,” he said, explaining that even a short activity could offer a moment of relief for youngsters recovering from trauma. The UAE Floating Hospital in Rafah was deployed as part of the UAE’s humanitarian response, treating wounded Palestinians evacuated from the enclave.

For Al Karbi, the biggest impact of the project has been personal. Travelling through unfamiliar places - from Colombia to the Dominican Republic and beyond - has broadened his worldview.“I like to sit in a local café and watch people live their lives. You see how they smile, how they manage life. Then you compare it with what we have here.” For him, football was simply the starting point.“It’s just something I know how to do. At least I did something for them.”

His efforts have also received regional recognition. In 2024, he received both the Emirates Awards for Community Sports Events and the Emirates Social Excellence Award. Earlier honours include the Arab Sports Culture Federation Award in 2023 and the Emirates Award for National Record Achievements in 2019.

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