As a leading digital money transfer service, we celebrate the work and achievements of unspoken heroes in diaspora communities around the world, and African-Australian Sallu Kamara is just one example of many.

Since moving to Australia,Sierra Leonean Sallu Kamara is one of many young African-Australians working to increase multicultural representation in sport. Having been previously selected for the New South Wales Combined High School Schoolboys in 2015, and last year playing for the Central Coast Mariners National Premier League team, Sallu strives to achieve his goal of becoming a professional football star.

Using his experiences so far, Sallu hopes to level the playing field for future generations of African-Australian athletes, making it easier for them to progress onto higher levels in sport and increase the diversity in teams across the country.

The true meaning of football

Since he was a young child in Sierra Leone, football has always been a constant in Sallu’s life. Now, at the age of 21 and living in Sydney, he continues to focus and refine his skills as a player, working hard to one day achieve his dream of playing for the Australian Socceroos.

“It’s just something that I grew up on and I’ve always had the love and passion for it, and it has just been something I’ve always been good at and it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Sallu said.

He also said he is grateful to be able to play football in a country such as Australia because of the opportunities available for him to develop as a player.

“There are much better facilities here compared to what we had back home, where often there’s nothing at all and we just play football in the streets,” he explained.

“Back home, it’s a really hard life, so sending money abroad is a really big thing for us because we’ve got to look after our family and I think that’s a good way to look after them,” Sallu explained.

Companies like WorldRemit continue to service members of the African diaspora such as Sallu and his family, with remittances to the region amounting to around USD$38 billion across the Sub-Saharan region in 2017, according to the World Bank.

African countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe are global leaders in mobile money, and with more than more than half of WorldRemit’s transactions to Africa made to mobile wallets, the company has tapped into this growing phenomenon by providing more ways for their customers to send instant money to mobile wallets.

How WorldRemit serves local communities

WorldRemit also handled 74% of all remittances to popular mobile money services across Africa like MTN, Ecocash, Tigo Pesa, Vodafone M-Pesa and Airtel money, making it the global leader in mobile-to-mobile international money transfers last year.

These remittances to Africa play an important role in the economic development of the continent, by improving living conditions and supporting the education of many younger Africans.

Sallu’s mother Zainab said even though the war in Sierra Leone is over, it is still vital for her to send money because it helps ensure her family have stability.

“Things are so hard for them there and we have to make the effort to make their lives easier and look after them because I want to keep them healthy and safe,” Zainab said.

“WorldRemit’s rates are lower and by adding the difference in fees to the money we send to our family and friends, it amounts to a lot for the people in many African countries.

”By providing a safe and secure mobile application for Africans around the world to instantly send money to their family and friends living in over 35 African countries, WorldRemit has made the process of sending money hassle-free for the diaspora.

In doing so, WorldRemit is aiding people like Sallu and Zainab in continuing to pave a greater way for the African diaspora in sport across Australia.

Share the best way to send money abroad

“If people like me prove ourselves now, then the next generation will most likely get a spot in these higher teams because the coaches have already seen how we’ve performed, how humble we are and how disciplined we are, so it’s a big way for the younger generations to come through,” Sallu said.

“For us to make it to the big ranks, it takes a lot and we’ve got to prove ourselves ten times more than other kids here because they’ve probably already got connections in the soccer community.

”Drawing inspiration from his idol, Sadio Mané, a Senegalese professional footballer currently playing for EPL team Liverpool, Sallu said he is willing to go anywhere in the world if it means he can continue to chase his goal of playing professionally.

“I just hope the future for me and other Africans will continue to be bigger and better.”

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Did you like this story? Then you will enjoy a story about Thapelo Moloantoa, who is helping to change young lives through football. 

Read Thapelo’s story here