Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi is currently at the heart of a campaign aimed at promoting inclusive education through sports in Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

The pilot project ´1 in 11´ launched jointly by FC Barcelona, UNICEF and Qatar-based social organization Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) has been raising funds to extend educational opportunities to marginalized children of the region, with the goal of expanding it to more countries, states a press release issued by UNICEF.

“Nepal is one of the three countries where the programme is being launched initially, and the programme will be working with 265,000 children in 400 primary schools and 250 education centers in ´disadvantaged´ districts,” UNICEF Communication Manager Rupa Joshi wrote in an email to Republica.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Messi says he is supporting the campaign because he believes all children have the right to fulfil their potential and realize their dreams.

“I believe that through sport we can teach values of respect, teamwork and effort, and ultimately inspire children to attend and stay on in school, so they will receive the quality education which will equip them with the skills they need for life,” Messi said in a statement.

According to UNICEF, globally one in 11 primary school-age children - or 58 million out of 650 million - are out of school. The majority are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable: children living in areas affected by conflict; children in extreme poverty; children with disabilities; children from indigenous communities.

In addition, in many schools, sports programming does not exist, even though studies have shown that including sports in school curricula can inspire children to attend and stay in school, lead to better physical health, and help to improve their grades, reads the statement.

Along with Messi, tennis star and fellow UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Serena Williams has been inviting their fans and followers to join the ´Keep Ups´ challenge - challenging people to keep a ball up in the air for at least eleven touches - and to donate for the campaign through social media.

“The sports stars have been inspiring their fans to donate for the campaign since last month,” says Joshi.

The ´1 in 11´ campaign will raise more funds through individual donations and a major art auction at Sotheby´s in London on Thursday, reads the statement.

In Nepal, UNICEF has worked with the government to identify 10 priority districts that will offer sports programming for children up to secondary school, particularly aiming at breaking down the societal barriers for children with disabilities and including them in school, according to UNICEF Nepal.

source:NEERAJ CHANDRA ROY, republica,12 feb 2015