POSTED: Friday September 11th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAUREUS LEGENDS MARCEL DESAILLY AND EDWIN MOSES SUPPORT ORPHAN AID PROJECT IN GHANA

• Laureus Academy members receive enthusiastic welcome in Ayeniah • Sport gave me so much in my life, this is all about what I can give back to these children – says football giant Marcel Desailly • Pictures of Desailly and Moses in Gha

ACCRA, GHANA, September 10, 2009 - Laureus World Sports Academy
member Marcel Desailly, the French football legend who was born in
Ghana and has now returned to live in Accra, received an ecstatic
welcome from hundreds of young Ghanians as he visited a
Laureus-supported OrphanAid Africa project in Ayeniah.



Desailly, who was joined on the visit by Dr Edwin Moses, the
Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, met the Ayeniah community
elders and project volunteers before taking part in football and
basketball sessions with the young people. Desailly is a major
supporter of OrphanAid Africa and became a Patron of the organisation
in 2005. The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation also announced its
support for OrphanAid Africa last year.



OrphanAid Africa is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping
orphans and vulnerable children in Ghana to grow up in a safe,
permanent and loving family setting with care and protection. OrphanAid
believes that sport can help at risk children and provides a variety of
sports activities, led by trained coaches, for the inhabitants of
Ayeniah community, just 45 minutes from Accra, and the foster children
in the surrounding area.



Marcel Desailly said: “Three years ago I met Lisa Lovatt-Smith who
runs the project. She persuaded me to go and see it and when I did I
knew immediately I wanted to get involved. I decided to raise money for
food and medecine for the children, but I also realised the need for a
sport element at the project, as I saw good potential in the children.
All kids deserve a chance to be able to play sport. Sport gave me so
much in my life, this is all about what I can give back to these
children.”



And Laureus Chairman Edwin Moses said: “From a personal point of
view, because I have traced my roots back to Ghana, every set of eyes I
look into could be a relative. This is my first visit to Ghana and it
has been very sentimental. I am particularly happy to be here with
Marcel, who is the driving force behind this visit. Most of the kids
here live outside a family situation, and I hope we can inspire them.”



There are many orphans and vulnerable children in Ghana in need of
care as a result of the HIV/AIDs epidemic and the increase of
rural-to-urban migration. OrphanAid Africa assists the families,
communities, organisations and government departments charged with
their care.



OrphanAid, like Laureus, believes that sport can play a vital role in
helping children in a vulnerable situation. Many of these children have
had very few emotional ties with anyone and lack a family life. By
encouraging them to play together, a substitute family is created
through the team structure. They also receive additional life skills
courses on literacy, health and HIV awareness. Healthy protein and
vitamin snacks are provided, which encourages the children to attend
and provides important additional supplements to their generally poor
diets.



Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport
to bring people together as a force for good. Laureus is composed of
three core elements - the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus
Sport for Good Foundation and the Laureus World Sports Awards - which
collectively celebrate sporting excellence and harness the power of
sport to promote social change.



The mission of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is to utilise
the power of sport to address social challenges through a global
programme of sports related community development initiatives, using
sport as a tool for social change. The Foundation supports almost 70
projects worldwide and since its inception Laureus has raised €20
million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of one
million young people.



Marcel Desailly and Edwin Moses are members of the Laureus World Sports
Academy, a unique association of 46 of the greatest living sporting
legends. The Academy members volunteer their time to act as global
ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation by using their
influence to highlight the plight of disadvantaged children and
supporting humanitarian projects around the world.

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Keywords · Marcel Desailly · Laureus World Sports Academy · Ghana · Dr Edwin Moses

Name: Mal Thompson
Organization: Laureus Foundation
Email:
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7514 2749
URL: http://www.laureus.com/

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