ONE members join the football world and African leaders in calling for education for all
 The yellow card is presented to South African President Jacob Zuma. |
After a month of excitement on the pitch the football World Cup is now over for another 4 years. But whatever team you supported, the real winner was Africa, with the tournament shining a light on continent and helping to shift many of the negative perceptions about it.
But just as important was what happened off the pitch, with world leaders meeting in Johannesburg prior to the final to attend the World Education Summit, hosted by South African President, Jacob Zuma. The Summit brought together more than 100 delegates with heads of state from Kenya, Mozambique and Botswana, as well as FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, co-chair of 1GOAL attending.
During the summit our friends at 1GOAL presented a giant yellow card to President Zuma containing the names and messages from supporters around the world, including more than 10,000 ONE members, all calling on world leaders to provide education for 72 million children worldwide by 2015.
The leaders responded to the call, and their commitment to invest in universal education together with the call from African Heads of State to urgently prioritise investment in education are very welcome.
The summit in South Africa is an important first step but the major breakthrough needs to come at the upcoming UN Summit in September to help accelerate progress towards all the Millennium Development Goals.
Aaron Mokoena, 1GOAL ambassador and South Africa football captain said:
“President Zuma must be credited for calling this summit. 14 million football fans from around the world have signed up to this campaign and now world leaders need to make the dream of Education for All a reality. History shows that where the political will exists, great things can happen. South Africa now shares the delivery of this legacy with the rest of the world.”
And with the next World Cup taking place in Brazil in 4 years time, former Brazilian player Socrates added:
“Without an education children can be left with little more than hope to get them through life and the fact that today, in 2010, millions of children cannot go to school due to grinding poverty shames us all. We look to the Brazilian State and the next President to ensure there is a lasting legacy from this World Cup. In Brazil there are still approximately 5 million children of primary school age not attending school and approximately 14 million illiterate adults. Brazil must continue the good work that has started in South Africa and sustain this work so that by the next World Cup in Brazil, we have taken huge strides in getting every child into school.”
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
16/07/2010 at 5:28 pm
really goal! goal! goal! ….I’m so glad……
16/07/2010 at 6:21 pm
Extra time! The game is not over yet!
16/07/2010 at 6:28 pm
Way to go!
16/07/2010 at 6:58 pm
At the Fifa world cup, we have seen players who fought to reach the goal: Yet we await to see leaders who struggle to met the millenium Goals: There must be Educational and real healthcare Goals out there on behalf of children. A sort of legacy to be left behind.
16/07/2010 at 9:48 pm
A qualified “HURRA!” — qualified, because education is only as good as what is being taught and how. We don’t need any more colonialism in any form; education and educators need(s) to respect cultures and teach their truths, not a globalized, colonialized one that is just going to continue business as usual. For Africa especially, courses on the African environment, natural resources, and species protection — NOT conservation, but protection — are crucial.
17/07/2010 at 10:39 am
Africa is on world map for a positive reason now. Well done to the South Africans and their hospitable hearts, there world cup gave the world a glimps of what Africa is all about
There is still a lot of work to be done in Africa, and we believe there is great potential for develpment and education for all.
To be able to do this we need Fair Trade for Africa – Fair deals and Fair healthcare for all. We need to Educate All our children – let us fight for one thing, 1GOAL
20/07/2010 at 6:31 am
I send you this mail because I see that I am a member of 1goal campaign as A palace for the deaf health-workers, sports and agricultural for Live hoods program!
This page has been created by my concerned since; an “idealist” deaf women protection in a world like ours. And I have the feeling that we will and should be deeply deceived (after all his-President Zuma efforts) if he does all succeed in realizing – winning that “Millennium Development Goals” – the social projects explained on his page of where the Education will be the one of the fundamentals of development.
So, if you could just take some minutes (after having “voted” for us today) to write on your though wall a kind invitation to all your friends to vote and support us, the deaf in developing countries.
In this competition ending soon because the low education standards are hindering the development of deaf peoples in the developing countries. The area is severely underdevelopment in terms of the long-team concerns, is due to a number of factors, key among us failure in to poverty everywhere. Providing education for the special needy vulnerable citizen of our countries seems to be a challenge many sub-Saharan African countries have for long overlooked. This challenge, reduces the possibilities of deaf persons to participate fully in the economy of their countries and thus, they feel locked out in every aspect of decision making. Education for all will help end poverty.
That should be really great!
Best regards.
Joseph
I remind you here the main links.
21/07/2010 at 11:47 am
I am just looking to getting a helping prepare resources for workshops and events with more about deaf women and girls developing interview, you should think in my country offering in Kenya, as well as health professional, donors and others, revealed major shortcoming in the health system’s response to preventing in their community of hide hers condition. They might live in pain and isolation for years, even decades, before learning that surgery could repair hers condition. Sufferers there are in Kenya, and poorest countries. They had poor knowledge of….urge to, I have heard a story that one deaf woman in Kenya-she thrown out her new born to the tradition toilet because not aware or know the chance of the cause. There have some very good policies on women and child protection and maternal health. However, it has no national strategy for addressing the deaf women childrens? In all likelihood, they will stop working, going to market, and taking part in social or religious life.
24/07/2010 at 11:43 am
It is a good move.
02/08/2010 at 11:25 pm
Hi. I have read your post and I am glad that there are still people who share this opinion.