EXKLUSIVT! Sevillaredaktionen intervjuar Frédéric Kanouté
Precis som rubriken lyder så har Sevillaredaktionen fått en unik chans att intervjua Frédéric Kanouté angående hans välgörenhetsarbete i Mali.
Vår välgörenhetskämpe Frédéric Kanouté är världskänd för sitt stora engagemang inom humanitära hjälpinsatser. År 2004 etablerade Kanouté välgörenhetsorganisationen Development Trust och har tillsammans med dem lagt grunden till en helt ny by i Mali. Projektet fick namnet Sakina Children’s Village. Här bygger organisationen nya bostäder och vårdcentraler. I framtiden planerar de även att utöka byns tillgångar genom att bygga skolor samt träningsanläggningar. Allt detta för att barnen skall få bättre framtidsutsikter.
Här syns Frédéric Kanouté när han hjälper till att planera byggandet av Saknia Children's Village.
Själva byn är till för de barn som är föräldralösa. Organisationen ser till att dessa barn hamnar i fosterfamiljer och får en ljusare framtid helt enkelt. Själv säger Frédéric att han blev inspirerad av sin fader att starta projektet.
Bygget påbörjas och Frédéric hjälper till med de första spadtagen.
Idag har bygget nått långt och flertalet bostadshus har färdigställts. De första fosterfamiljerna flyttade in i september år 2010. Nedan kan ni se flertalet hus som färdigbyggs, och fler lär det bli!
För er som vill se mer från byggandet av Sakina Children's Village så rekommenderar jag denna video!
Nedan följer vår exklusiva intervju med Frédéric Kanouté (på engelska);
How did you start with your charity work? What made you put in the huge effort to help people in need? We all know that you have a big heart and you show that through your humanitarian work. How come you started working with Development Trust?
- I've always tried to contribute to charitable causes, but I established the Development Trust in 2004 while I was still paying for Tottenham in London, to primarily manage my vision of a project for orphaned and vulnerable children in the country of my father's birth, Mali. This is a project close to my heart as my father was orphaned as a very small child. As the son of an orphan, I have a personal reason to try and help orphaned and vulnerable children. The primary focus of the charity is also children's welfare and education.
In 2006, you collaborated with Development Trust, and started a project called ''Mali Children's Village''. How did the entire project turn out? How did the life of the involved children change?
- The charity's flagship project is the Sakina Children's Village, in Mali, which consists of a Housing Complex, Health Centre, and in the near future a school and a skills training centre. Sakina Children's Village received its first children in September 2010, and more will arrive this July 2011, and should reach its full capacity of 99 children in July 2012. The health centre and school will also be open to the neighbouring villages. The housing complex and health centre are already completed, the school and a skills training centre will be added in the next couple of years.
I believe every child deserves a family. It is the family environment that provides the love and security for children to mature into valuable and contributing members of society. This philosophy is implemented in the Sakina Village - individual houses have foster parents and families to provide the ideal environment for the children and role models to break the cycle of poverty associated with orphans. This is a long-term project, but we've already made an immedate improvement to the children's personal live by providing the security of a 'family environment' that we all take for granted.
We've heard that you bought a mosque in Sevilla with money from your own pocket. Can you tell us about this occurrence?
- I didn't buy any mosque - the local Muslim community in Sevilla approached to help them secure the building as the landlord need to sell. As they would've lost their only place of worship, I decided to help them as a humanitarian gesture. As I understand it, they use the building a mosque, and also for supplementary education for the children. So this is now really a community centre.
Do you have any future plans with your charity work?
- I try to use the little time I have to help raise awareness of the charity's projects and fundraise for them. Fundraising for the the next two projects - the school and skills training centre is till not complete, so I'm focused on that at the moment.
At last, what is your expectations from Sevilla and your performances at the pitch this season?
- I am part of a team, but personally I also need to stay fit and score as many goals as possible - that's my focus. For Sevilla, we need to target a high finish so we can play in Europe next season.
När man inser hur pass mycket tid Frédéric lagt ned på detta så funderar man ju lite på varför man själv inte gör likadant. Därför uppmanar jag ALLA läsare att hjälpa organisationen på traven genom att skänka ett bidrag till Kanoutés välgörenhetsorganisation. En liten summa kan göra stor skillnad! Donationer kan ni göra HÄR.
Till sist vill Sevillaredaktionen rikta ett STORT tack till Frédéric Kanouté, som tog sig tid och besvarade våra frågor. Tack även till Muhammad Amin, representant för Development Trust, som såg till att intervjun möjliggjordes.
