Underprivileged Kids in Colombia Donated Money By FIFA, Coca Cola and other Organisations

FIFA along with Coca Cola and in collaboration with Bogota City Council, pills Cali City Council, health Colombian government and Inter-American Development Bank (BID) are donating an estimated $1.1m to 1, story 400 children in both cities.

The donation will be channelled through the Colombianitos Foundation in Bogota and the SIDOC Foundation in Cali.

FIFA, Coca-Cola and the Inter-American Development introduced their Football for Hope programme with help from the Colombian government, supporting 1,400 underprivileged children aged between five and 18 and living in the neighbourhoods of Ciudad Bolivar in Bogota and Comuna 20 in Cali.

Local children will have the opportunity to play football in their free-time and start their life projects, develop social skills, lead a healthy lifestyle and acquire social values.

A team of psychologists, social workers and physical education instructors will be on hand to identify and tackle the problems afflicting these communities such as drugs, juvenile delinquency and domestic violence. The work they carry out will indirectly benefit over 5,000 people, including parents, other family members and neighbours.

Federico Addiechi, FIFA’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, said: “Thanks to the role it performs, its values, popularity and its universal appeal, football has a major responsibility to society as a whole, it is a pleasure for FIFA to join forces with committed organisations and to support programmes that promote togetherness, social integration and access to health and education services for children and youngsters in disadvantaged areas of Colombia.”

Ricardo Cortes, Coca-Cola’s Director for the Andean Region, commented: “Ciudad Bolivar and Comuna 20 are deprived neighbourhoods where social problems have been identified and which impact on violence and crime rates, the children who live in these areas have no sports facilities they can use or access to recreational programmes encouraging them to adopt a healthy way of life. Through Football for Hope we aim to make a difference and it is our pledge to develop these vulnerable communities by promoting active lifestyles, which are an essential component of our global platform Live Positively.”