MANILA, Philippines – The star-studded charity football match organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) raised $190,000 for the rehabilitation efforts in areas devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan).
“We are proud that UNDP’s 11th Match Against Poverty provided an opportunity for the public to support the affected Filipino communities and help them rebuild their lives after the devastation caused by Haiyan,” Maurice Dewulf, UNDP Philippines Country Director said in a recent statement.
Football legends Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo led the UNDP team for the charity match where 88 percent of the proceeds will go to UNDP projects in the areas devastated by Yolanda.
“The funds for the Philippines will be used to increase awareness of disaster risks among the most disaster-prone communities,” UNDP said in its statement.
“This initiative will thus make a major contribution to a better understanding of what the disaster risks might be and allow all concerned to prepare and protect themselves against such disasters,” it said.
The match was held in Bern, Switzerland and was attended by 21,000 football fans all over the world who wanted to express their support for the recovery efforts in the Philippines.
Match Against Poverty is an annual charity football game of the UNDP that aims to encourage people to support UNDP’s programs all over the world.
During the halftime portion of the match, a short film portraying the plight of young football players in Tacloban city was aired with the aim of showing how survivors are recovering.
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