This month the first ever Street Child World Cup takes place in Durban, South Afri

ca. The Street Child World Cup is an exciting championship which gives street children from around the world the chance to shine on the football pitch and find their voices through the global language of the game they love.

There are tens of thousands children living on the streets in the world often abused and victimised. Typically, hunger, violence and poverty drive children to the streets, and hunger, violence and poverty meet them there.Their plight and welfare will be highlighted by this sporting event, which places them at centre stage, celebrating their potential and giving them an opportunity to talk about the issues that matter most to them.

This month the first ever Street Child World Cup takes place in Durban, South Africa. The Street Child World Cup is an exciting championship which gives street children from around the world the chance to shine on the football pitch and find their voices through the global language of the game they love.

There are tens of thousands children living on the streets in the world often abused and victimised. Typically, hunger, violence and poverty drive children to the streets, and hunger, violence and poverty meet them there.Their plight and welfare will be highlighted by this sporting event, which places them at centre stage, celebrating their potential and giving them an opportunity to talk about the issues that matter most to them.

There are eight competing teams from South Africa, Brazil, India, Nicaragua, Ukraine, Philippines, UK and Tanzania, with some former street children from Vietnam also sharing their experiences.

The Street Child World Cup gives the children a chance to come together as teams and work with international coaches to develop skills and express themselves on the football pitch. Specially trained artists will also be at the event enabling children to tell their own, personal story.

A global Street Child Manifesto will be written and a campaign launched calling for the street children’s rights to a full, healthy, dignified life to be upheld, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). By identifying issues and solutions with the children themselves, organizers believe they can work with governments to improve the lives of thousands of street children.

The event will be hosted in Durban by Umthombo Street Children and the Durban University of Technology. In the immediate future, the Street Child World Cup plans to work with Umthombo Street Children and other partners to help reduce the risks of abuse to street children during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa this year.

But the work of the Street Child World Cup does not end when the final whistle blows. The charity is committed to investing in the long-term futures of the children involved. A process of training and support is put into place before, during and after the event. It is hoped this will encourage the children to become mentors, advocates, and sources of inspiration for their peers.

Organizers hope to hold the event every four years – following the pattern of the FIFA World CupTM.

At the heart of The Street Child World Cup and all the charity stands for are the children themselves.

Anton’s story Statistics say there are 250,000 people living on the streets in Kharkiv, Ukraine. 11-year-old Anton became one of them after running away from home to escape violence. After a number of months sleeping on a bench in a kiosk, Anton began attending a day centre run by Depaul Kharkiv. Here he takes part in a number of activities such as; one to one session with professional staff, food, life skills education and sport, his favourite being football.

With the support from Depaul, Anton now lives in a childrens’ hostel (run by the local authority) he feels comfortable in. However, many children are not so lucky. Children’s hostels in the Ukraine are very stringent. In many cases, children are treated as a number, not as an individual and have no freedom or choice. This often causes children to run away, ending up back on the streets. Depaul Kharkiv recognized this problem and began working in these institutions carrying out various activities with the children, giving them choices of what they like to do.

The Street Child World Cup is a global partnership led by Amos Trust. See www.streetchildwordcup.org for more details.

‘I know from personal experience just what power football can have to inspire and change young people’s lives whatever their background or nationality. This is what the Deloitte Street Child World Cup is all about and I give it my full support.’

David Beckham

‘I am delighted that the first Street Child World Cup will take place in South Africa where I know there is a huge passion for football. No child should have to live on the streets and I fully endorse this campaign giving street children a voice to claim their rights.’

Sir Alex Ferguson