Euro Soccer Stars To Come Stateside For Charity Match

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Arsenal F.C Defender Mikael Silvestre is gathering Soccer’s all-stars in New York for a weekend full of fundraising events from June 11th-14th to benefit his charity, the Schools for Hope Foundation. The culminating event is to be a match versus the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, June 14 at Giant Stadium.

Scoring points for their respective teams won’t be the only goal for these players, however. An ambitious $1,000,000 is the target amount to be raised for new school construction and educational centers around the world.

Soccer (Football) enthusiasts will be pleased to recognize many of the sport’s elite included on the roster. Joining Silvestre on the field will be Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Nikolas Anelka, Manuel Alumnia, Emmanuel Addebayor, Frank Lampard, and Ryan Giggs to form what is being billed as “the most unique team ever assembled.”

Silvestre, who also represents France during international play, founded the Schools for Hope Foundation with a mission to build, maintain, and staff schools in impoverished areas of the world, where there is little or no access to educational instruction on the most basic skills: reading, writing, and basic arithmetic. So far, the organization has built two new schools in Africa, and is hoping to obtain financing for additional sites in Laos, South America, and the United States.

In an interview with the New York Times, Silvestre explained why he chose education as his platform for building a better world.

“When my children first started to go to school I realized that education is the basis for a better life for poor children everywhere in the world.”

“I said to myself that I want to act, I want to be involved, with my own money. The focus is not on football at these schools, it is getting…basic skills and professional skills, so the students are able to go out and get a good job.”

Regarding the inaugural event’s location (“It’s magic when you say ‘New York’”), Silvestre adds, “I want to make sure this is an entertaining game, a good show. We want the fans to come back, maybe in two years’ time again.”

Other events planned for the weekend include an auction featuring signed memorabilia and a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden.

To view more on the global crisis of education and what the All Stars are saying about the cause, click here.

To learn more about the All Stars for Hope Weekend and to purchase tickets, visit Allstarsforhope.org.

Manchester United Works With UNICEF In Africa

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Former footballer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United’s baby-faced assassin, will use the proceeds of a recent match to build schools in Africa.

With an expected £2 million raised from the game, 10 schools costing between £20,000 to £200,000 will be built in Angola, Malawi and Mozambique through UNICEF, and will additionally include teaching materials, writing materials and sports equipment.

Executive director of UNICEF Norway, Kjersti Flogstad, said in the Sunday Times: “There are not many people, let alone footballers, who are like Ole. It has been a big joy and a source of motivation to work with him.”

A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since visiting a camp for abandoned children in Thailand in 2001, Solskjaer has donated the proceeds of various events to UNICEF, some of which have also been used to build schools in Africa, plus he’s planning on several more.

“In Africa almost half the kids who should be in school are not in school,” said Flogstad. “We and Ole want to create safe havens for such kids.”

Manchester United’s Mikael Silvestre has also taken an interest in Africa. At a UNICEF soccer clinic near Johannesburg, The Telegraph quoted Silvestre: “I wanted to come and meet these people who are suffering with [HIV], to show them we care. They are still proud and they still live life normally. They have a big determination to fight this disease and they are involved in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS through different organisations. It was very good to hear.”

UNICEF’s project uses sport to get kids to open up, thereby becoming more receptive to information on risky behaviour and HIV infection prevention.

Look To The Stars News: Mikael Silvestre

Euro Soccer Stars To Come Stateside For Charity Match

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Manchester United Works With UNICEF In Africa

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