Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka shared the story of a 14 year old Rwandan teenager whose sight improved after receiving treatment through BigShoe as he accepted the 2026 Sócrates Award.
Saka read Biringiro’s message during the Ballon d’Or ceremony at the London Palladium. The award recognises humanitarian work undertaken by a footballer beyond the game.
Biringiro began losing his sight when he was 12. As his vision deteriorated, moving around his home became increasingly difficult, particularly because his rural community did not have electricity.
His condition also affected his education and social life. He could not read what teachers wrote on the blackboard and struggled to play freely with his friends.
BigShoe later helped him receive the eye care he needed. In the message read by Saka, Biringiro said that after receiving treatment, he could read the blackboard even from the back of the classroom.
He also said he no longer worried about feeling different from other children and could enjoy his childhood again. The improvement renewed his confidence in the future and strengthened his ambition to become an English teacher.
Saka told the audience that helping children recover such happiness was important to him.
“Every time I have the opportunity to help another kid have that feeling again, that’s important to me,” he said.
Saka has worked with BigShoe since 2022. One of their first major projects funded more than 120 operations for children in Kano, Nigeria.
BigShoe later used donations from Saka and Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger to finance operations for another 100 children in Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.
The organisation also carried out an eye-care programme for children in Ghana, Nigeria and Rwanda in 2025 with Saka’s support.
Its subsequent work in Rwanda included health checks for more than 580 children and health-insurance support for over 1,000 people. Other projects supported by Saka provided clean drinking water, a space for girls and improvements to a football pitch, spectator stand and library.
BigShoe says it has helped more than 10,000 children in disadvantaged communities across four continents since it began operating in 2006.
The Ballon d’Or organisers said Saka’s broader humanitarian record also included assistance for vulnerable families and action against racism and online abuse.
After reading Biringiro’s message, Saka accepted the Sócrates Award on behalf of the children reached through the initiatives supported by him and his family.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10