Monaco Prince and football legend Zidane campaign against poverty

Cape Town, 14 June-(ANA)-Prince Albert II of Monaco and football icon Zinédine Zidane, as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have visited  a sports community center in  Gugulethu in Cape Town, South Africa to a campaign against poverty through sports.

The Ikhaya Lemidadlo Sport for Development is a community center for sports activities and youth education in the municipality of Gugulethu, 14 km from Cape Town. The initiative, which was launched in 2009, resulted from a partnership between the Principality of Monaco, UNDP, the World Alliance of Cities against Poverty network  and the City of Cape Town.

The Prince and Zidane were accompanied by Ms Helen Zille, Premier of the Western Cape, Daniel Plato, Mayor of Cape Town, and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development, Wilfried Lemke.

The population of Gugulethu (80,000) is very young (60% under 25) and the area is particularly poor. The first beneficiaries are local children and young teenagers. Unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 25 were identified and trained as sport coordinators. They in turn are training younger children. About 1,200 children participated in a variety of events including soccer, softball, athletics, and general recreational activities. The programme is expected to be replicated as a model in other cities across Africa.(ANA)

FA/ANA/14 June 2010----------