As the Socceroos compete against Asia’s top football teams for the 2015 Asian Cup, defender Jason Davidson has been announced as a One Goal Ambassador – a campaign that uses football as the catalyst to improve the nutrition of children in Asia and Australia.
One Goal is a partnership between World Vision and the AFC to harness the power and passion of football fans to level the nutritional playing-field across the region.
“Becoming a One Goal Ambassador is a real opportunity to help those who are less fortunate through football – it’s a privilege to use the game in a positive way to help kids get the best start to life,” said Mr Davidson.
“It’s fantastic that through this campaign I can promote an initiative that is both personal and important to me.
“Football has given me many opportunities, including the chance to travel extensively while living and playing in countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, China and Thailand, to name a few.
“I understand from first-hand experience the importance of helping children and their families in these communities eat, play and live right.”
One Goal spokesperson Ben Wallis said, “We are delighted to have Jason Davidson come on board as a One Goal Ambassador to educate fans on the issues affecting the next generation of football champions in our region.
“We believe that football can change the world, and One Goal is a fantastic opportunity to unite the whole football family – fans, clubs and countries alike – to create a lasting legacy starting with the 2015 Asian Cup,” said Mr Wallis.
“We encourage all fans to get behind One Goal during the Asian Cup by registering through our website to receive the latest news and information, signing up your football team to take part and donating to support the One Goal cause.”
As the eyes of the continent are on Australia during the tournament, World Vision, the AFC and One Goal’s other partners have come together for the first time to kick-start the One Goal campaign here in Australia – uniting 1.4 billion football fans across Asia to raise money, create awareness and drive change to increase the number of children who survive and thrive in a healthy life.
More than 200 million children in the region are born each year carrying the burden of malnutrition – entering the world at a disadvantage to their international counterparts.
One Goal funds will assist World Vision’s health and nutrition projects in Australia and in countries across the region, including sports for development programs, promoting exclusive breast-feeding education and improved access to nutritious foods.
Ben Wallis is available for interviews.
Media contact:
World Vision Australia: Kayla Robertson – 0418 762 926 | kayla.robertson@worldvision.com.au
About One Goal:
One goal is a partnership initiative of World Vision, Asian Football Confederation and partners that has one goal: Nutrition for every child. With football as the catalyst, One Goal seeks to bring awareness to the issue of child malnutrition in Asia and Australia and powerfully inspire and mobilise the football community to take action to increase the number of children in the region who survive and thrive. For more information visit http://australia.onegoalglobal.org/
About the partners:
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of Asian football. The AFC is now headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and consists of 46 Member Associations and one Associate Member Association. Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain is the AFC President and Dato’ Alex Soosay is the AFC General Secretary. (http://www.the-afc.com)
World Vision is a global Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. (http://www.worldvision.com.au)
The Asian Football Development Project is a not-for-profit Youth Commission founded in January 2012. AFDP provides Asian football organisations and development organisations using football as a tool for social development with needs-based assistance. (http://www.the-afdp.com)
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition(GAIN) is an alliance driven by the vision of a world without malnutrition. Created in 2002 at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children, GAIN supports public-private partnerships to increase access to the missing nutrients in diets necessary for people, communities and economies to be stronger and healthier. (http://www.gainhealth.org)
Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. By connecting its unique competences in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences DSM is driving economic prosperity, environmental progress and social advances to create sustainable value for all stakeholders.(http://www.dsm.com)