By Mark Baber
November 9 – Football Federation Australia has announced the launch of the Football Cares initiative which aims to raise donations for UNHCR’s programmes to support displaced Syrians – both domestically and internationally.
The Syrian crisis is regarded as the single-largest refugee crisis in the world and the Football Cares initiative is inspired by a similar campaign launched by Italian club AS Roma.
Football Federation Australia’s CEO David Gallop announced the launch at Parliament House in Canberra saying, “When a Syrian or any other refugee first arrives in Australia, football may well be the only familiar thing to them.
“The appeal of this game to all cultures is unique and for this reason football also has a vital role to play in the community at this time.
“We are proud to partner with Australia for UNHCR to provide critical support for refugees arriving in Europe in huge numbers at this time, and equally proud to partner with Football United who do amazing work to assist refugees settle into their new lives in Australia through the power of football.
“Now we ask our football community to show that football cares by donating.”
Donors will have the choice of supporting Australia for UNHCR which will help provide medicine, shelter, clothing, food assistance, safe drinking water and livelihood for refugees abroad or Football United, a campaign which will fund efforts to address social challenges encountered by newly arrived refugees in Australia.
Dr. Anne Bunde-Birouste, Founding Director of Football United, commented on the launch saying: “Through our work at Football United, we’ve seen years’ worth of examples of how football can dramatically change the lives of humanitarian immigrants, giving them greatly needed support in their settlement.
“This campaign brings the Australian football family together, and with the support of the Australian public, we’re confident that Football Cares can make a tremendous difference in helping the Syrian refugees. We want to thank the FFA for leading this campaign, and anyone who chooses to contribute.”
Naomi Steer, National Director of Australia for UNHCR, added: “In the five years since the start of the Syrian conflict, more than 4 million Syrians have become refugees, the vast majority being women and children fleeing conflict and violence with little more than the clothes on their back.
“In this year alone, hundreds of thousands of these refugees have risked everything to find help, hope and safety. Through supporting this appeal, Australians can take positive, lifesaving action and support refugees who have arrived in Europe, as well as those seeking refuge in countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.”
The initiative has set up a web site for campaigning and donations at footballcares.ffa.com.au
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