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Ronaldo and Zidane give U.S. $120,000 to finance humanitarian projects in Haiti.
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13 July 2005 – Goodwill Ambassadors Ronaldo and Zidane, have raised U.S. $120,000 for humanitarian projects in a Haitian shantytown, Cité Soleil.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Haiti, Adama Guindo, who is also the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in the country, and Prime Minister Gérard Latortue signed an agreement yesterday to use these funds for education, health care and sanitation in Cité Soleil, a sprawling, impoverished seaside district in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
The funds come from the second "Match against Poverty” organized last December by the UNDP in Madrid, Spain. The match was a great success, uniting Ronaldo, Zidane and many other stars in a true team against poverty. Some of the proceeds of this memorable match have now gone to Haiti and the rest will go to similar projects of development in some African countries.
“During my visit to Haiti last year with the Brazilian football team, I was particularly touched by the dignity of the Haitians and their manifest desire to live in decent conditions despite the difficulties which they face,” explained Ronaldo in his latest visit to the country marking the agreement to fund the projects. “I am glad of having teamed up with Zidane in making a modest contribution to support the humanitarian and development projects going on in Haiti.”
Zidane also spoke of the challenges and hope for the country and its population. “The scale of the problems must not prevent us from acting,” he said, “because the good news is that each one of us can contribute in the fight against poverty. I am happy of having been able to participate with my friend and teammate Ronaldo in donating the means to finance projects in Cité Soleil.”
Certainly, their contribution will be much felt in Cité Soleil, a district where staggeringly low living conditions and a lack of resources have made the reduction of poverty extremely difficult.
The funds will be managed by the UNDP and the projects directed by NGOs operating in Cité Soleil. The Haitian government, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) are all involved in the two, main projects. The first one, dealing with education, aims to provide didactic and scholastic material to the children of Cité Soleil. The second project focuses on creating a safe, clean and harmonious living environment through the creation of jobs as well as sanitation and health facilities.
This initiative makes Haiti an inspiring front in the fight against poverty.
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