For Immediate Release
Right To Play Expands Into Peru
Programs will bring the power of sport and play to children living in disadvantaged communities
TORONTO, ON (December 5, 2008) The international humanitarian organization Right To Play is pleased to announce today the launch of its programs in Peru, expanding Right To Play’s footprint into South America for the first time. The expansion, to be announced this evening at an event held at the Canadian Embassy in Lima, will allow Right To Play to reach children living in Peru’s Lambayeque region and the cities of Huaraz and Cusco.
Right To Play, founded in 2000 by four-time Olympic Gold medalist and current President and CEO Johann Olav Koss, uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Currently, Right To Play has projects in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Its programs target the most vulnerable, including young girls, people living with disabilities, children affected by HIV and AIDS, street children, former child combatants and refugees. The organization is supported by an international team of top athletes from more than 40 countries. As role models, these athletes inspire children, raise awareness and promote opportunities for funding for Right To Play projects.
"Today marks an incredible milestone for Right To Play," said Johann Olav Koss, President and CEO of Right To Play. "Our teams have worked very hard to bring our programs to children in this part of the world, so it is satisfying to celebrate this launch today. We are also very grateful to all of our supporters in this region who have made this possible."
The expansion of projects into Peru will mobilize local volunteers, such as early childhood education centre staff and teachers trained to implement two of Right To Play’s key holistic development resources, Red Ball Child Play and Early Child Play. Using a community-based model of program delivery, Right To Play Peru aims to establish and strengthen Early Childhood Education programs, contribute toward existing physical education programs in primary and secondary schools and promote leadership development in secondary school students through training.
Teresa Gonzalez, Director, Program Monitoring and Evaluation for Right To Play who will oversee the programs in Peru said, "As a life-long educator, I have witnessed firsthand how the best values of sport contribute to the development of happy, healthy children. We are thrilled about being able to offer this possibility to children in Peru to grow physically, socially and psychologically through the power of sport and play."
The launch event will be attended by Athlete Ambassador Kei Kamara (soccer striker for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer), Geneviève des Rivières, the Canadian Ambassador to Peru, members of the Right To Play International Board of Directors and local business leaders who will demonstrate their support for Right To Play and share personal stories of their experience with the organization.
About Right To Play
Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Working in both the humanitarian and development context, Right To Play builds local capacity by training community leaders as Coaches to deliver its programs in more than 20 countries affected by war, poverty, and disease in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 2000, Right To Play is headquartered in Toronto, Canada and has national offices in Canada, China, Norway, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The national offices raise funds, build awareness for Right To Play programs and advocate for Sport for Development.
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