The official 2010 Fifa World Cup™ charity aims to raise US$10-million to build 20 Football for Hope centres across Africa, marking the first time that the world’s biggest football event will harness the power of the game itself to inspire positive social change.
Five centres will be located in South Africa – the first is due to open in the Cape Town suburb of Khayelitsha in December 2009 – and a further 15 across the continent.
Each will feature a mini-pitch along with classrooms and health care facilities, providing youngsters with a place to play as well as access to counselling, health and educational services.
The campaign follows on the success of social upliftment campaigns associated with previous World Cups – Say Yes For Children (2002), and 6 Villages for 2006 – while marking “the first time that the world’s largest football event will harness the power of the game itself to inspire positive social change,” Fifa says on its website.
20 Centres for 2010 will be conducted within the framework of the Football for Hope Movement, a key element of the strategic alliance between Fifa and streetfootballworld, a centre of expertise that supports a global network of local organisations in the field of development through football.
Football for Hope partners, all successfully established local non-governmental organisations, will provide the education and health care services for the 20 centres, while also encouraging “the social integration of minorities and disadvantaged populations in their respective communities”.
To get the ball rolling, Fifa – supported by its six partners Adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates, Hyundai, Sony and Visa – has committed to contributing $500 to the campaign for every goal scored during the more than 800 World Cup qualifying matches – amounting to a donation of at least $1-million.
Fifa aims to raise the remaining amount through targeted alliances and cooperations.
20 Centres for 2010 “emphasizes the power of football far beyond the boundaries of the pitch,” Fifa President Sepp Blatter said at the launch of the campaign in 2007. “We want to … leave a lasting legacy for the benefit of African youth after 11 July 2010.”
Article last updated: November 2009
SAinfo reporter
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