DOHA: A high-level meeting was held between Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), FC Barcelona and Unicef to discuss the next phase of their ‘1 in 11’ campaign to extend educational opportunities to marginalised children in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal.
The campaign will see sport and education merge as a catalyst to provide quality education and raise international and local awareness about their importance in every child’s life.
Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director, ROTA, and Gerard Boquenet, Director, Private Partnerships and Fundraising, Unicef, were welcomed in Barcelona by Josep Maria Bartomeu, President, FC Barcelona ahead of the meeting.
The meeting followed the Art Auction in London in February, which raised over €3m for ‘1 in 11’ projects. The three entities discussed the global partnership and how to implement plans through funds.
“Sport is a common language among the world’s youth. Education, we believe, is a common right. The Art Auction in London was the beginning and so we are proud to see the money raised making a real impact through 1 in 11’s alliance of devoted partners,” said Al Mannai.
Currently one in 11 children, or 58 million out of 650 million children, do not have any access to education and are not getting the start in life they deserve.
The majority among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable are children in areas affected by conflict; in extreme poverty; with disabilities; and from indigenous communities.
To tackle the challenge, FCB Foundation, ROTA and Unicef launched the ‘1 in 11’ partnership this January 9 in New York.
After the auction, the 1 in 11 partners are ready to start the implementation phase, commencing projects in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal where ROTA has experience and a strong knowledge base in increasing access to quality education for marginalised communities using sports and play as an enabling tool.
ROTA’s team of development professionals contributes expertise to 1 in 11 projects and is involved in the design, monitoring and evaluation of 1 in 11 programmes.
“Our long-term partnership with Unicef is one of the elements that makes our football club unique, and we are happy to strengthen this relationship through the 1 in 11 partnership that also brings ROTA on board, to be able to reach and help more children worldwide,” said Bartomeu.
In Bangladesh, funds will be used to help marginalised children achieve good learning outcomes.
In Indonesia, a programme will support schools in six districts to include children with disabilities and promote life skills while promoting physical education and sport.
A programme in Nepal will focus on the positive impact sport can have as a key component of a child’s holistic development from the early grades to secondary school.
“The world faces an enormous task in making sure that every child has access to quality education. This is why we are increasing the momentum, building on our alliance with FC Barcelona Foundation to create the ‘1 in 11’ partnership with ROTA. The partnership will help make sure that no child should ever be denied the opportunity to receive quality education, which is their right,” said Boquenet.
The Peninsula
