By Robbie Blakeley, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Street Child World Cup (SCWC) is set to officially launch tonight in Rio de Janeiro at an event in Humaitá. On March 27th, 2014, the second ever Street Child World Cup, a charity event which will take place on the same year as the FIFA World Cup, will kick-off in Barra da Tijuca with the aim of giving those most vulnerable in society a better chance at life.
Organized by a non-profit, the competition will reunite at least twenty teams of children, including two from Brazil, from around the world.
A male side from Fortaleza is traveling to Rio for the event, made up of children from the Pequeno Nazareno project in the northeastern city. A female side, from the IBISS project in the Penha favela, will represent Rio de Janeiro.
The first SCWC took place in South Africa in 2010 and was a resounding success. As a result, none of the children who played in that event are now living on the streets.
As the charity event has grown over the last three years, and still with seven and a half months to go until the big kick-off, next year’s event has the potential to accomplish even more.
This tournament invites children from relative footballing backwaters. Among the confirmed countries so far several developing countries, including Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Burundi and Indonesia.
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