December 19 2006
'6 villages for 2006' at the FIFA World Player Gala
19/12/2006 - FIFA and SOS Children's Villages celebrated the highly successful 6 villages for 2006 charity campaign at the FIFA World Player Gala on Monday evening, and wrote a new chapter in their 10-year relationship.
At the FIFA World Player Gala, FIFA General Secretary Urs Linsi handed SOS Children's Villages Secretary General Richard Pichler an over-sized and symbolic key for the six new children's villages, which were built with donations collected from 6 villages for 2006.
Pichler thanked football fans around the world for their generous contributions to the 6 villages for 2006 campaign, which exceeded all expectations and collected more than €25 million in donations.
"The children of today are the players of tomorrow - on the football pitch and in society. We can help them by working together," Pichler told guests at the Zurich Opera House, as well as worldwide audiences watching the event on television.
6 villages for 2006, the joint charity campaign between FIFA and SOS Children's Villages for the 2006 FIFA World CupTM, was the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the history of the FIFA World CupTM. Every donation collected since the campaign was launched in December 2003 will be used to give 800 orphaned and abandoned children a new family home in six new children's villages – one each in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Ukraine and Vietnam.
A further 5,000 children and 1,000 families will benefit from new ancillary schools and social centres. The children's welfare organisation congratulates Fabio Cannavaro for lifting the men's FIFA World Player of the Year 2006 award. Cannavaro is an avid supporter of SOS Children's Villages and has been serving the honorary role of FIFA/SOS ambassador since January 2006.