FCBARCELONA.CAT

18.03.2009 13:02

Keita to inaugurate XICS centre in Mali

www.fcbarcelona.cat

On 24th March, the FCB Foundation will open a new aid centre in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. It will be the biggest centre in the XICS network.

The XICS centre in Mali will give support to almost one hundred disadvantaged children aged between 7 and 16 in the area of Téléphone Sans Fil in Bamako. With a surface area of more than 12.500 m², it will be the biggest facility in the XICS network. It will provide teaching, psychosocial, health and nutritional support and well as becoming a local public school, something which until now had been inexistent in the area.

Wide representation in Mali

Representatives of FCB Barcelona, led by Club president Barcelona Joan Laporta, will leave for the inauguration ceremony on Monday. He will be accompanied by first team football star Seydou Keita, corporate director general Joan Oliver and the director general of the FCB Foundation, Marta Segú. Representatives of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) as well as members of the governmental International Cooperation Secretariat and of the Bamako City Council will also be present

Keita keen on project

Keita is particularly interested in this project which will be based in his home city. He will also be in Mali because of international commitments and will be the guest of honour at the inauguration in Téléphone Sans Fil.

Foundation has invested 247,000 euros

The centre also has the support of Mutuelle Benkan, Enda Tiers-Monde and, especially, the AECID (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo) and of the Foundation Polaris Word. The Town Council of Commune II Bamako has also played a part. The FCB Foundation has contributed some 247,000 euros.