Drogba, Akon, Eboue, Kalou, Magic System dancing for the Drogba Foundation

Côte d’Ivoire and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba threw a star-studded charity bash at The Dorchester Hotel on Saturday evening and Footy Factor was there to capture all the action. With proceeds from the black-tie event going towards the Didier Drogba Foundation and it’s goal to build a hospital for children in Abidjan, Drogba’s place of birth, famous friends descended on Park Lane eager to flash some cash.  Supporting their teammate  on the big night was John Terry, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Juliano Belletti, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka, Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou. Ex-Chelsea striker Carlton Cole and midfielder Claude Makelele popped in and so did Arsenal’sEmmanuel Eboue. But the biggest surprise of the night was the appearance of Senegalese-American R&B artist Akon.

Check out this magical clip we filmed of Drogba, Akon (wearing trainers), Eboue (sporting a bow tie) and Kalou (entering late) dancing to the smooth sounds of Ivory Coast’s Magic System all in the name of charity.

S: footyfactor.com

——————————————
The familiar battleground of a London derby is the Chelsea striker’s workplace. Football, though, is just one part of Drogba’s life.
A week earlier, he was just as at home among the rusting remains of abandoned lorries and diggers here in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast.
Everywhere on this piece of wasteland on the outskirts of the city, there’s junk – like a scene from the Mad Max movies.
The land slopes down from the city’s main highway and slides into the lagoon which surrounds this mass of humanity.
These are not the familiar surroundings of a millionaire footballer. Drogba, though, could not be more proud.

“I grew up two miles from here and I wanted to build a hospital here where the people of my village can come and be treated,” he beamed.

“The people who live around here are really poor. I grew up in a shanty town and I want to say thanks for the kindness I was shown here and to prove that you can come from this sort of place and give something back.

“I feel very emotional to be standing here and think of what it will become. I know it’s hard to imagine a hospital now, but I’m very excited about getting started on the build.”

Drogba has set himself the task of raising £2.5million towards the construction, staffing and supplies of a new paediatric hospital.

ICON … the streets of Abidjan empty when Drog plays
He has not quite donated £3m, as has been reported, but gave the fee from his sponsorship deal with Pepsi which bought the site.

A star-studded charity ball was held at the Dorchester Hotel in London last weekend and raised £500,000.

The hospital will have 200 beds and provide treatment currently unavailable in the country.

He was inspired to set up the Didier Drogba Foundation when the younger brother of his best friend was ill with leukaemia.

Every effort was made to get Stephane to France to get the treatment he needed because of the lack of facilities in Abidjan.

Drogba said: “I did everything I could to get him a visa to go to France and two days after he got the visa he died. It was a big shock.

“He was like a little brother to me and from that day I started to try to get information about leukaemia and see if I can help others. I don’t want to help one kid I want to help as many as I can.”

The Drogba Foundation has also donated money to the victims of flash floods in Senegal and Burkina Faso.

But it was witnessing the worst football disaster in the history of Ivory Coast that led to the Chelsea striker’s ambition of building a new hospital.

Twenty people lost their lives and 132 were injured last March when a gate at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium collapsed under the pressure of a crowd surge. Inside, Drogba and his team were unaware of the horror unfolding as they beat Malawi 5-1.

The following day, however, Drogba discovered the shocking conditions which exist in the medical services in his country.

He recalled: “People could not afford a taxi to get there and, if they did, they couldn’t afford to eat when they did get there.

“They cannot afford medicine and I was so overwhelmed when they asked me for help. I wanted to do something specific for kids.

“At the same time I visited the hospital, I went to a small room with six kids who were all seriously ill – some with leukaemia.

“Their families were sleeping by the bedsides, the conditions did not look to me like they would help the children to get better. I was told later that only one of the kids survived. I felt awful. Nobody wants to see kids suffer.” As we speak, a steady flow of children appear. Word is out that Drogba is in the neighbourhood. They stare at him like a god.

This kind of adulation for Drogba is the norm in Ivory Coast. When he plays for Chelsea, Abidjan’s streets are deserted, the population of five million glued to TVs.

In a shanty suburb to the west, Drogba Village has been created – complete with its own tribal chief.

The chief explained his devotion to his idol.

He married a woman with the same birthday as Drogba and named his two children after him.

His house is a shrine to the striker and he went more than £10,000 in debt when he hired a big screen and invited the whole town to watch the Champions League final with him in 2008.

“He is more than a footballer, more than a man,” the chief explains. “Drogba is a god sent to bring joy to the people of Ivory Coast and he gives us hope.”

Less-obsessed fans are content to celebrate their hero’s exploits with a ‘Drogba’ beer, so called because it is big and strong – one litre and 5.5% – just like the Ivory Coast captain.

When asked about his status Drogba, 31, reacts with humility. And despite spectacular success with club and country, Drogba believes his finest hour is still ahead of him.

He said: “When the doors of the hospital open that will be the greatest achievement of my life. After all that has happened here in six or seven years with all the suffering, this would be my contribution to Ivory Coast.”

S: thesun.co.uk
————————————–

Popularity: 3% [?]