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Africa News of Friday, 28 May 2021

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Marcus Rashford left smiling after engaging with Barrack Obama via video call

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Former President Obama and Rashford engaged in one-on-one interview Former President Obama and Rashford engaged in one-on-one interview

• Marcus Rashford was privileged to engage the first United States black president Barrack Obama in a video call

• The Man United star said it was surreal to speak with the former president from the comfort of his kitchen

• The two had a video call and Obama admitted later that Rashford was way ahead of him when he was 23

Manchester United forward couldn't hold his excitement as he had the rare privileged of speaking to former US President Barrack Obama in an interesting one-on-one via video call.

The 23-year-old attacking player was heavily involved in a campaign to tackle food poverty among children last year when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak in the UK.

He also set up a book club to help disadvantaged children read more and these moves earned him a sit down with Obama who is thoroughly impressed by the young star’s philanthropy. Obama said during the zoom call:

"A lot of the young people I meet - including Marcus - they're ahead of where I was when I was 23. They're already making changes and being positive forces in their communities."

The pair spoke over the video call where they had a nice bonding moment as they discussed their experiences growing up.

Both Rashford and Obama were raised by single mothers - something they could relate to all too well in their discussion.

Rashford admitted it was ‘surreal’ to speak to the former president but Obama’s general demeanour made him feel comfortable, he added: "But, immediately, he made me feel at ease. It wasn't long before I realised just how aligned our experiences as children were in shaping the men you see today - adversity, obstacles and all.”

Thanks to Rashford’s campaign last year, 1.7m vulnerable children ended up being supported by a £520m Government scheme.

In August 2020, he formed a task force with popular food brands in the UK in a bid to help fight child food poverty, Legit.ng reports.

Through a letter to MPs released on Tuesday, August 31, the 22-year old announced the formation of the task force with brands such as Aldi, Tesco, Deliveroo and Kellogg’s.

Rashford’s ambitious plan involves reaching out to the chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to fund the implementation of three key policy recommendations.