World leaders and footballers on Tuesday rallied behind a FIFA-backed campaign to educate poor African children, as part of the legacy of the continent’s first football World Cup in 2010.
The 1GOAL global campaign is supported by Queen Rania of Jordan, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma and other leaders who have committed to creating resources to educate poor children.
”We are determined that 2010 will leave a legacy for education in this continent,” said Zuma.
The leaders plan to mobilise governments from low-income countries to invest in schooling and encourage rich countries to stand by their pledges on education.
According to 1GOAL, an extra $7-billion is needed to educate about 75 million children who are out of school globally.
”It’s an outrage that 35 million African children miss out on a basic primary education, tackling that would be an incredible achievement,” Brown said in a video-link from London.
Football greats, who pledged support for the scheme, include Ruud Gullit from the Netherlands, Marcel Desailly from France and Gary Lineker of England. — Sapa