Causecast

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer

One game has the power to bring the world together. I have always believed that football has the capacity to end war and bring world peace. Not the football with helmets and pads – I’m talking about the beautiful game. Soccer. It’s true. Every four years the world stops fighting for 30 days and tunes in. In the middle of World War I, Germany and England left the trenches of the battlefield to meet on the soccer field while enemies and friends alike cheered on their teams in the 1914 FIFA World Cup. That’s some serious diplomacy.

With more than a billion viewers, the World Cup is now the most watched sporting event on the planet. This year, world leaders, world footballers and FIFA intend to use a massive captive audience for good. With the launch of 1GOAL, the game of soccer will bring the global community together with – you guessed it – one goal: that is, education for everyone.

The 2010 World Cup will be the first ever World Cup games to be held in Africa. With all eyes on South Africa next June, there’s an opportunity to bring awareness to the need for education in some of the world’s poorest countries. Ten years ago, the United Nations recommitted to the eight Millennium Development Goals, one being primary education for every child in the world. Currently, more than 75 million children are denied the opportunity to go to school. The U.N. recognized that access to education gives those in developing nations the opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty.

The 1GOAL campaign is aiming to enlist tens of millions of supporters through a massive sign-up campaign to secure primary education for the 75 million children around the globe who are currently denied an education. 1GOAL is asking for:

• Governments to give more aid for education (an extra $7 billion is needed) and stand by their current pledges.

• Greater investment for more teachers, textbooks and schools in developing countries.

• Millions of people in the developing world to recognize the importance of sending their children to school.

Join 1GOAL and be part of the millions of voices (and REAL football fans) who speak on behalf of the millions of children around the world who deserve an education.

Plus, the 1GOAL website has the best disclaimer ever: “We will not bombard you with emails from third parties and you can opt-out of any further communications at any time.” What more could you ask for?

Photo by oyosan, flickr.