According to a press release by Egypt's Ministry of Youth and Sports, Visa, the world's leader in digital payments and official sponsor of the 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), in cooperation with UNICEF and the youth and sports ministry, are "kicking off its Player Escort Program in Egypt for the upcoming tournament by offering forty-seven packages to boys and girls ages 6 – 10, across governorates in Egypt, including Cairo, Alexandria, Assiut, Ismailia and Qena." "The forty-seven packages for the boys and girls in Egypt, who will be given a chance of a lifetime to be a player escort and lead some of the world's best football players onto the pitch, will be distributed through three main campaign components," the press release said. The press release explained that "primarily, thirty-six of these packages will be distributed through local football tournaments that will be organized with the assistance of the Ministry of Youth and Sports at youth centers across the country. Secondly, Visa will be organizing matches for the most deprived children living in the Al Asmarat area, with the help of UNICEF, through which seven children will be given the chance to win these packages." "Lastly, the remaining four packages will be given to children who take part of Visa's inspirational “Unstoppable Stories” social media activation campaign." “Sports is one of the main ways to join people from all over the world. It gathers people who show nothing but enthusiasm, passion and love towards the same cause. For that reason and since Egypt is hosting one of the largest football tournaments in the world, we feel obliged to share a once in a lifetime experience with those we believe deserve to be given that chance,” stated Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Egypt's Minister of Youth and Sports. Ahmed Gaber, General Manager Visa North Africa, added “It is an honor to be one of the main sponsors of the third biggest tournament on the planet, the 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations. Egyptians are one of the most energetic, aspiring and passionate people in the world, which is why we, at Visa, aim to highlight the passion and unstoppable spirit of the people. Through our Unstoppable Stories campaign, we want to identify inspiring stories told from the perspective of our youth and share them with the world. Through our other grassroots efforts and local football matches, we want to tap into the love of football that is the heartbeat of Egypt and give our Egyptian children a chance of a lifetime to be part of this wonderful tournament.” Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, said: “The Asmarat game is a great initiative from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and VISA. I am thankful that UNICEF is supporting children participation in this thrilling soccer moment. For UNICEF, parents should spend more and more time with their children, playing with them, sharing nice moments like watching a good match. These interactions are good for the children development and are very important for every child to reach its full potential.”
