Top footballer Seedorf launches Goal4Africa
Goal4Africa is endorsed by powerful partners such as the Nelson Mandela Foundation, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco's Peace and Sport Foundation and many world class football players. Seedorf is Goal4Africa´s first and global ambassador.
Besides Seedorf, other top football players have give their support to Goal4Africa namely Kaká, Lampard, Maldini, van Persie, Buffon, Adebayor, Gatusso, Gerrard, Cannavaro, Eto'o, Drogba, Essien and many more.
Raising funds
Goal4Africa´s fund raising mechanism is based on a simple yet powerful concept: funds are raised by the scoring of goals. This means that everyone, individual, company, organisation or a group of friends, can make a contribution to the foundation. It doesn't matter whether the goal is scored in a professional or amateur match or in a friendly game between friends. With this, the organisation activates millions of people worldwide to make a contribution in their own way.
The cause
In Africa, 40 million children do not go to primary school. This group includes in particular girls, disabled children, orphans and children living in rural areas. Nelson Mandela has devoted his life to develop education on the African continent. According to Mandela, education is the most powerful tool for changing the world and to fight poverty, and has been crucial to his own personal development, hence his motto: "Education for all. All for education". Goal4Africa has been initiated to further build on Nelson Mandela's vision and to help him realise his dream: create better education for the children of Africa. It is inspired by two major upcoming events: Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, on 18 July 2008, and the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, in 2010.
Official kick off
Goal4Africa will celebrate its kick off on 12 July in honour of Madiba's birthday. During a live event in the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, the story of Nelson Mandela's extraordinary life and his dream will be told, the necessity for education in Africa demonstrated, and the Goal4Africa program and objectives explained.
Spectators and visitors will be treated to a benefit football match with the Goal4Africa World Team that unites 40 of the world´s best football players including above-mentioned players. The organisation aims at broadcasting the kick off event worldwide and this should energize viewers to get involved in Nelson Mandela's dream. The match will be the first opportunity for spectators and visitors to sponsor each goal scored through (mobile) text messaging. Before and after the match, live acts are performed by famous artists.
“Nelson Mandela has been an incredible inspiration to me throughout my lifetime and his efforts continue to bring positive change,” says Seedorf. “Goal4Africa is a program that I believe in wholeheartedly and am sure will reach the world in the same way Live Aid has done.”
For further information and updates: www.goal4africa.org. For more information about global kick off in Munich and tickets to the match: www.goal4africa.de.