Keypoints:
- Bellingham has scored six World Cup goals
- He began supporting Miche Bora at 15
- His fundraising helped the school expand
JUDE Bellingham will carry England’s hopes into their World Cup semi-final against Argentina on July 15, with his six-goal campaign also renewing attention on a quieter story that began in Mombasa before he became a global football star.
The Real Madrid midfielder has scored against Croatia and Panama and twice each against Mexico and Norway. His extra-time winner against Norway sent England into the last four and moved him level with Harry Kane and Gary Lineker’s England record of six goals at a major tournament.
Bellingham has become one of the defining figures of the 2026 finals, which have also highlighted Africa’s expanded World Cup representation. Africa Briefing’s coverage has included England’s group-stage contest with Ghana.
Yet Bellingham’s association with Kenya began years earlier, when he was still developing at Birmingham City and chose to support Miche Bora School in a deprived part of Mombasa.
A connection formed at 15
Miche Bora was founded in October 2008 with 17 children, two teachers and two classrooms, according to the Mustard Seed Project, the UK charity that supports it. As enrolment rose, the organisation bought land in 2014 and began building a permanent school.
Bellingham was introduced through his father, Mark, who worked with the daughter of charity co-founder Rita Fowler. He was about 15 when the relationship began.
‘When I first met him he wasn’t quite 16 but was so mature and polite,’ Fowler told the Daily Mirror, a UK daily newspaper.
The timing matters. Bellingham had not yet made the moves to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid that transformed his profile and earning power. His support began while he was still an emerging teenager rather than an established celebrity.
What Bellingham contributed
Bellingham did not establish Miche Bora or finance its entire construction. The permanent building resulted from years of work by Kenyan teachers, trustees, families, the Fowler-led charity and numerous donors.
His role combined a personal donation with fundraising appeals and publicity. The Daily Mirror reported that he helped raise money for a classroom, backed a feeding programme and provided sports equipment for children in the community.
‘Jude’s help has been fantastic,’ Fowler said.
The completed building has 12 classrooms, offices, a staffroom, toilets, a kitchen and a hall. Bellingham’s involvement helped an established education project attract attention and additional support as it expanded.
Support continued after construction
His association with Miche Bora did not end when the main building was completed. At 18, while playing for Borussia Dortmund, he launched a JustGiving appeal to buy classroom laptops.
‘I also want to use my talent to help others,’ he wrote.
The appeal said the school had only six laptops, mainly used by teachers, although pupils needed digital skills for Kenya’s curriculum and their future employment. It raised £601.85 online and another £110 in Gift Aid.
Miche Bora’s experience reflects the wider challenge of delivering education, nutrition and technology access in underserved Kenyan communities. Africa Briefing has also reported on education and livelihoods programmes reaching informal settlements across Kenya.
World Cup spotlight
England’s run has returned Bellingham to the centre of global attention. His two goals helped overcome Mexico 3-2 in the last 16, before another brace secured a 2-1 extra-time quarter-final victory over Norway.
The semi-final against Argentina offers him an opportunity to set a new England scoring record and take the country into its first men’s World Cup final since 1966.
Whatever happens in Atlanta, his relationship with Miche Bora offers an earlier measure of his influence. The accurate story is not that Bellingham single-handedly built a Kenyan school. It is that, from about 15, he used money, visibility and sustained fundraising to assist people who were already building one.
