FC Barcelona Star Lionel Messi arrived in Doha on Monday for the official announcement of a new agreement between his charity foundation and Qatar-based telecom giants Ooredoo.
During a special ceremony in the Qatari capital, Ooredoo and the Leo Messi Foundation announced a trailblazing new initiative to support mobile health clinics around the world that will provide medical aid for children in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia, with a target of reaching two million children by across Ooredoo’s markets by 2016.
“We believe that young people should be given a full range of life chances, so that they have the opportunity to grow and reach their potential. Disease and lack of access to healthcare is a major barrier for young people in many parts of the developing world, and we see the mobile clinic initiative as a practical and impactful solution to this” Ooredoo Chairman H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani said.
“Today’s initiative will enable us to work with the Leo Messi Foundation and transform our Indonesian mobile clinic initiative into a global force for better health.”
Among health-related projects, The Leo Messi Foundation, founded by the Argentine star in 2007, has helped fight Chagas disease, rehabilitate hospitals, and offer scholarships for training doctors. Working with Ooredoo will enable the Foundation to extend its work into the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia.
"Ooredoo and I believe in making a difference in the community, and I’m proud that the Leo Messi Foundation will help Ooredoo provide much-needed healthcare and educational support for at-risk children around the world. This unique partnership with Ooredoo is another way that we can help youth make their dreams come true” the Barca living legend told the media.
Ooredoo supports a wide range of health services throughout its footprint, as part of its commitment to promoting human growth and giving back to the community. Now, working in partnership with the Leo Messi Foundation, Ooredoo plans to roll out mobile clinics across its global footprint with a particular focus on children’s health, in addition to enhancing the range of services provided by the clinics in Indonesia.
Ooredoo is also set to expand its range of Health services – health-based advisory and monitoring services that can be accessed via a mobile phone.
Messi, who visited Qatar twice before with the Argentine national team, held a press conference later in the day at Aspire Zone.
The Argentine star said once again that he will never play to any club other than FC Barcelona. He cited the reason of the famous defeat against Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the Champions League to the fatigue some players felt after playing many big games before meeting the Bavarians.
After the conference Messi also met with kids from Qatar, Palestine, Indonesia, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait and the Maldives at Aspire Zone. The 112 kids were chosen through a competition before the Barca star’s arrival in Doha.