The number of out-of-school children and youth increased by six million between 2021 and 2023, reaching a total of 250 million, according to UNESCO.
More than 22.5 million people viewed the ‘Match For Hope’ inaugural charity event last month while raising more than $8.8 million to support Qatar’s Education Above All Foundation’s key educational projects globally.
Qassim Al Jaidah, the Match For Hope Project Manager, announced the major figures on February 28, offering insights into the success of the mega charity event.
Al Jaidah noted that the viewers included those on online streams, TV on-demand platforms, and TV channels, including Alkass Sports Channels and beIN Sports.
“Match For Hope has exceeded all expectations for the first year of hosting. We’re proud to have put on such a successful event, all in aid of an important charitable cause – children’s education,” Al Jaidah said last week in a press release.
Held on February 23, the major event gathered YouTube sensations Chunkz and AboFlah for a charity match at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. The teams involved prominent content creators and football legends who played on both sides to raise money and awareness for EAA’s endeavours.
The game ended with Team Chunkz’s 7-5 victory over Team AboFlah.
“Getting two massive content creators on board to captain the teams in Chunkz and AboFlah helped us draw in a truly global audience. This was further boosted by the world-famous content creators and World Cup legends who enthusiastically agreed to take part,” Al Jaidah explained.
The match also included live performances from Nasser Al Kubaisi, Haneen, Aedh, Gims, DJ Altego, and the Ghetto Kids.
The official sponsors were Visit Qatar and Qatar Airways whereas the strategic sponsors were Qatar Duty Free and Snoonu.
The mega event gathered more than 34,000 spectators, with the funds raised being allocated to support more than 70,000 out-of-school children in six countries. The targeted countries included Palestine, Sudan, Mali, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Pakistan.
The number of out-of-school children and youth increased by six million between 2021 and 2023, reaching a total of 250 million, according to UNESCO.
There are nearly 15 million out-of-school children aged between five-to-14 in the MENA region alone, according to UNICEF. At least 10 million others in the region are at risk of dropping out of school, primarily due to conflict.
Apart from supporting EAA’s mission, Match For Hope also contributes to building on the World Cup Qatar 2022 legacy by using the role of football in supporting disadvantaged communities.
While the match ended, it can still be viewed in English on beIN Sports MENA English and Chunkz’s YouTube channel.
The Arabic versions can be accessed on beIN Sports MENA Arabic and AboFlah’s YouTube channel.