Ode Fulutudilu Announced as Mission 89 Ambassador

Mission 89 is proud to announce South Africa International Ode Fulutudilu as our Ambassador.

Ode, the new addition to our family, is the first personality to sign up to the Mission 89 Ambassador Programme.

Ode Fulutudilu’s journey from refugee to professional footballer is truly remarkable and is inspirational to young athletes all around the world. Fleeing from a civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and taking refuge in South Africa at a young age with her family, her determination and passion for football won her a scholarship to study in the United States and to play professionally in Europe.

As Mission 89 Ambassador, Ode will work as a delegate of our organization by using her name, voice and platform to reach the hearts and minds of the vulnerable, raising awareness and fighting against human trafficking in and around sport.

QUOTES

“We are delighted to welcome Ode Fulutudilu to Mission 89. Our Ambassador Programme seeks to engage social change makers around the world to combat trafficking in the name of sport. Ode’s interest in social justice issues and education, are very much aligned with ours. Her journey, background, and personality are something that younger generations can learn from and admire.”

Lerina bright – Executive Director, Mission 89

“I am incredibly humbled to be representing such an organization that is bringing a light to a problem that not many people think of, or associate with, sports. Human trafficking in the world of sport has gone unnoticed and unchecked for many years because not enough people talk about it. I hope to help bring awareness to the exploitation that sometimes occurs when young people want to go into sport, and in doing so help develop people’s knowledge and awareness about the issue.”

Ode Fulutudilu – Forward, Aland United & Mission 89 Ambassador

QUICK FACTS

• In 2014, after graduating from Lee University in Tennessee, Ode was called up to Banyana Banyana, the South Africa Women’s National Football Team.
• In 2018, she scored 15 goals in 22 games playing for ONS Oulu Women in Finland’s Naisten Liiga, earning the title of the club’s top goal scorer.
• In 2019, she signed for Spanish Primera division side Malaga CF Femenino, becoming the first South African player to play football in a Spanish top division.
• In 2020, Ode Fulutudilu joined Aland United in Finland. She also hosts a podcast ‘And She Plays’, to encourage and motivate future and present female football players.

Mission 89 Ambassador Programme

The Mission 89 Ambassador Programme is a social influencing and community outreach initiative that uses the positive values of sport to raise awareness of human trafficking within the context of sport. The Ambassador role is assigned to high-profile personalities who have been thoroughly appraised and selected by the organization.