29th July, 2010
Just as FIFA brought the 2010 Soccer World Cup to Africa, Hyundai Motor Company, one of the tournament’s official sponsors, aims to roll out football fever to children with limited access to sports and educational opportunities right across the continent with the launch of the One Million Dream Balls for Africa project.
Over the period of a year, children in all 53 African countries in Africa will benefit from the programme, which aims to teach life skills such as team work and strategy build confidence and motivate performance through the realisation of their inner potential.
The delivery of soccer balls to all corners of the African continent will be assumed by NGOs and organisations under the auspices of the United Nations from July to December 2010.
According to Mr Kiran Parab, Marketing Director of Hyundai Motors Nigeria, The Hyundai’s One Million Dream Ball project is targeted at Africa youths as a ‘Sports for Peace’ Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. We started what we are doing here today in South Africa as part of our sponsorship programme for the just concluded FIFA world cup. We are taking the project to the next level here.
You will recalled that Hyundai played a very important role at the recently concluded soccer world cup competition in South Africa through the donation of teams’ buses and coaches at the games and a ‘Goodwill Ball Road Show’ in Nigeria. On that occasion, well wishers, fans and football lovers across the country penned their signatures/good wishes on a gigantic football in an attempt to extend their hopes, aspirations and desire for the Nigerian Green Eagle team to bring home the World Cup trophy.
As part of our corporate social responsibility at the time, a Hyundai Fan Park was created at the Silverbird Galleria in Abuja where live entertainment, telecast live football matches and several prizes were placed at the disposal of football fans for 3 weeks of the FIFA World Cup Soccer event.
Following Nigeria, further stops will be made in Ghana, Algeria and Morocco before ending in Cairo, Egypt. Hyundai will distribute soccer balls and exhibit the company’s famous Goodwill Balls as well as the latest vehicle models. The ‘Africa Road Tour’ will be filmed for a documentary by the National Geographic Channel and aired in Asia and Europe in August this year.
—Daniels Ekugo