1 in 11 is a unique partnership between UNICEF, the FC Barcelona Foundation and Reach out to Asia (ROTA) to use the world-wide popularity of sport, especially football, along with education to enable every child to have the chance he or she deserves. It is estimated that 1 in 11 primary age children across the world do not attend school and are therefore not getting the start in life they deserve – an astonishing 58 million children (out of 650 million) – in part because they live in areas affected by poverty, conflict or prejudice. Also, in many schools, sports programmes do not exist, even though research has shown that including sports in school curricula can motivate children to attend and stay in school and help to improve their results, plus improve physical health.
This week Sotheby’s will hold an auction of eighteen artworks donated, and specially created, by artists including Yousef Ahmad, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons, plus there are auction lots to become an FC Barcelona Board member for a day with VIP seats at a game and a Long Weekend in Barcelona to include meeting Lionel Messi. The funds raised will focus initially on programmes in Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh.
A great initiative by artists and footballers.
[…] the same week as his painting of Lionel Messi is being auctioned by Sotheby’s in London for the 1:11 educational campaign, the Paul Stopler Gallery in Bloomsbury, London, is showing his new collection of original prints […]