Rwanda to benefit from Fifa’s $10m fund

Rwanda will be one of the twenty beneficiaries of the $10m 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign named “20 Centres for 2010”. According to a post on a Fifa website, organizations working in underprivileged African communities are preparing to take the initial steps in the construction of the first six centres of the official 2010 Fifa World Cup campaign “20 Centres for 2010”. The aim of the campaign is to build 20 centres for education, public health and football across the African continent. Fifa president Sepp Blatter launched the official social upliftment campaign of the 2010 Fifa World Cup - 20 Centres for 2010 in Durban last year. According to Fifa.com, the campaign aims to raise $10-million to fund the construction of 20 Football for Hope centres across Africa. Five centres will be located in South Africa and a further 15 across the continent. Each will feature a mini-pitch along with classrooms and health care facilities, providing youngster with a place to play as well as access to counseling, 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 said 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. Representatives from the six community-based organizations, the German Technical Cooperation agency, and architects from Architecture for Humanity and pitch designers from Greenfields recently met in Kigali to forge the way forward. Funds to realize the “20 centres for 2010” in Africa have been raised worldwide starting early this year. Football fans from around the world can contribute to 20 centres for 2010 by making a donation for every goal scored by the team of their heart on the road to and during the 2010 Fifa World Cup To get the ball rolling, Fifa supported by its 6 Partners Adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates, Hyundai, MTN Africa , Sony and Visa - has committed to contributing 500 US dollars for every goal scored during the more than 800 Fifa World Cup qualifying matches. For Africa, it represents the kick-off of a campaign using the beautiful game to inspire positive social change across the continent. Ends

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Rwanda to benefit from Fifa’s $10m fund