Suez Cement and NCCM raise awareness on children’s rights through football
Cairo, 18 August 2009. In the framework of their joint project “Improving the living conditions of the children and their families living in Helwan and Tourah districts” Suez Cement and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood have organized the Summer football tournament for the children of El Maasara and Kafr El Elw districts to promote awareness-raising on the children’s rights and, in particular, on the new child law.
Minister of Family and Population, H.E. Moushira Khattab, and Mr. Carlo Foroni, Technical Director of Suez Cement group, accompanied by Magdi Abdel Ghani, the famous Egyptian football player, have joined today the young football players at El Maasara Youth Center for the final match of the Summer Football Tournament which will award the best young football team of Helwan Governorate.
“Football is a powerful universal sport, and thus this huge power can be used as a medium and arena for disseminating important human rights and public health messages. Through the universal message of football Suez Cement and NCCM have been able to start to develop more interaction and dialogue with the youth of the target area. They are the future of our societies and also the future of our game and must be made aware of their rights to a real childhood” said Mr. Carlo Foroni.
In this respect, the Egyptian Parliament has recently passed most articles of new child law amendments that, among other things, raises the minimum age for marriage to 18 years and makes the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Egypt a punishable offense.
Since 2007, Suez Cement group of Companies and NCCM have undertaken several initiatives focused on protecting the children rights by providing them birth certificates, ensuring the child’s rights to education, raising environmental and health awareness, support medical care and health standards, improve recreational and sports activities as well as enhance the economic and social standards. To date the project upgraded six schools in the target area, developed two medical and health centers in Kafr El Elw and el Maasara areas, implemented 20 environmental camps involving 10 schools, 17 NGOs, 64 teachers and 1300 students to develop “green corner” spirit in schools and public places.
