Rocky Hehakaija

About Rocky Hehakaija

As a little girl, Rocky dreamed of one thing: playing football in sold-out stadiums. That’s why she did nothing but play football. She would wake up with the ball and go to bed with it. This made her an outsider, but sport was her outlet. Her anchor.

She made it to Jong Oranje, earned her stripes in street football, and toured the world as the only woman with Edgar Davids’ Street Legends. And yet, the biggest game changer oddly came from outside the field. At the age of eighteen, Rocky traveled to Rio de Janeiro with a TV program and ended up in a favela. A neighborhood full of poverty and violence, but the moment the ball started rolling, joy and connection suddenly emerged. That’s when she felt: this is the power of sport.

Football has become much more than just scoring for oneself. It is a means for young people to discover that they are a new generation of role models.

When a knee injury ended her professional career, she decided to establish Favela Street. A personal development program that trains young people to become role models through street football. Based on the philosophy: if you bring out the best in yourself, you can make a positive difference in your community. Rocky wanted to convey to young people the feeling that they can be something. That they matter. So that they can break free from the image that society projects onto them.

If something is said to you often enough, you will start to believe it. Many young people haven’t heard often enough that they are superheroes.

Favela Street is now active in Brazil, Haiti, Curaçao, and Sudan. After years of working with young people from all walks of life – from slums to high schools and youth prisons – Rocky has documented her approach in her own methodology. A scientifically substantiated and measurable program that addresses social exclusion with cognitive behavioral techniques, continuously focusing on belief in one’s own abilities. This way, Favela Street increases the chances of a positive future for these young people.

This new perspective on development cooperation makes an impact. Favela Street works closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is a consultant for organizations like Nike and UEFA, and is a highly sought-after speaker both nationally and internationally. Additionally, Rocky gives masterclasses in ‘Turn your skills into value’. The British broadcaster included her in the ‘BBC 100 Women’ and she received a nomination for ‘World’s Most Innovative Women’, alongside figures like Michelle Obama and peace activist Zahra’ Langhi.

Her latest achievement on the field? It was virtual: you can find her as the first female character in FIFA20 – still those full stadiums! At the forefront is my mission to let new generations score. The unique methodology of Favela Street combined with her experience in top football enables her to motivate people like no one else. Both in disadvantaged neighborhoods far from home and within the business world in the Netherlands. With and without a ball at her feet.