FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007

Footballer Marcel Desailly teaches girls in Ghana about success on and off the field
TAMALE CITY, Ghana, 26 September 2007 – Accomplished football player and Goodwill Ambassador Marcel Desailly recently visited the Northern Region of Ghana with UNICEF to encourage children, especially young girls, to play football and go to school.

FIFA-UNICEF campaign under way to break down gender barriers in schools
SHANGHAI, China, 13 September, 2007 – Eriko Arakawa, 27, fell in love with football at a very early age. “When I was five years old, I used to hear the sound of my older brother playing with his football – throwing it and dribbling it. I really liked that sound and I knew I wanted to play, too,” she recalls.

‘Goals for Girls!’ campaign kicks off
NEW YORK, USA, 7 September 2007 – In the run-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007, which takes place from 10 through 30 September, UNICEF has launched a new set of dynamic public service announcements.

Guinea-Bissau school rehab programme: A better chance for girls and boys alike
CANCHUNGO, Guinea-Bissau, September 2007 – Isabel introduces herself very shyly: “My name is Isabel Luís Gomes. I am 15 years old and I always studied in the Cunha Gomes School. I am a sixth grade student. I should be almost finishing school, but unfortunately I was enrolled late.”

Football helps girls in Brazil put exploitation behind them
OLINDA, Brazil, 31 August 2007 – For 15 years, UNICEF Brazil has supported the Environment and Citizenship Project here in the city of Olinda. Developed by the municipal government, the project offers sport- and music-related activities to girls and boys who have been involved in child labour or are in danger of being exploited.

Child-friendly schools give hope to a young girl in El Alto, Bolivia
EL ALTO, Bolivia, 6 August 2007 – Mariela Mamani lives in Villa Tunari, one of the most populous areas in El Alto, Bolivia. In the vast neighborhoods that seem pressed into the soil of the high plain, it is easy to get lost.