About Negus:  Negus Kloehn died April 28, 2020 from epilepsy complications. He was a gifted athlete and loved soccer tremendously. Negus and his sister Elilta were adopted at a young age from Gambella, Ethiopia. They came from a very humble background, and one of the things they found pure joy in was soccer. It was in Gambella that Negus started learning the mechanics of the body - how to pass, score, trap, etc. all the while developing his exceptional footwork. People would watch Negus on the field and say he was the next Pele! 

 Where the idea came from: The children in Ethiopia made balls out of plastic bags and string since they lacked real soccer balls. They also did not have soccer nets and they marked boundaries with stones. Negus’ dream was to become a professional soccer player and provide nets to children of Africa.  He thought that by providing nets, children would have more time to play rather than chase balls.  Even two weeks before he died, Negus expressed his wish to provide soccer nets and balls for children of Africa.  

"I want to become famous and play soccer to send some soccer nets to Africa so they can put the nets on the goals and play more soccer- so if they shoot on the goal the ball won’t go through the goal, and they don’t have to chase after the ball." - Negus Kloehn

To find out more about our nonprofit and our first African recipient please see savetheballsoccerforafrica.com