The press conference for the presentation of the sports event, during which the proposed charity project will also be presented, will be held on Tuesday 31 October at 11:00 a.m. in the Benedict XVI Hall of the Vatican's Pontifical Teutonic College (near the Aula Nervi). The press conference will be attended by Fr. Daniel Antúnez, President of Missioni Don Bosco, and Roberto De Benedittis, President of ACSI - Association for Culture, Sport and Free Time (ACSI Italia Atletica'), the organizer of the sports event.

While the 1 November event, which is expected to attract around 3,000 runners, will also be attended by the Athletics champions Ms. Fiona May (an ambassador of Missioni Don Bosco), Sara Simeoni and Danielle Madam. To support the project, the telephone number 45594 will be active for sending a solidarity contribution by SMS from 29 October to 5 November.

The TV programme This Morning on Channel Five (Mattino Cinque on Canale 5), hosted by Ms. Federica Panicucci, will connect in real-time several times with St. Peter's Square to highlight the progress of the marathon race and feature an interview by Paolo Capresi as the guest for the event’s talk-show.

Guinea, also known as Guinea Conakry, is in West Africa and has a predominantly agricultural economy, a very fragile health system and a very poor school system. It has an extremely low literacy rate. In fact, it is among the poorest countries in the world, ranking 182nd out of 191 on the Human Development Index. In 1990, the Salesians founded a missionary presence in the diocese of Kankan, in one of the most backward areas of the country.

The Industrial Training Centre in Kankan plays a fundamental role by guaranteeing quality education through courses tailored to the needs of the local labour market and the local population. It trains the young people on various disciplines of sports, socio-educational and socio-cultural activities. The Salesians' present proposal with the Marathon event aims to improve the quality of the centre's services by building new sports facilities for 640 young people (320 at the technical training centre, 300 at the oratory besides 20 trainers and coaches) and provide them with adequate sanitary facilities, enhancing the teaching skills of the educators. This upgradation will also raise the awareness of the young people (including with children with disabilities) and the children towards a healthier life, rich in sport and their inclusion into the mainstream society through courses and tournaments.

The missionaries want to build a small stadium with athletic tracks with stands, besides football, basketball, volleyball, and handball courts, for sports and socio-cultural activities for all young people without distinction of culture, religion or gender. These facilities will also allow promotion of socio-educational meetings on sports, environment, and peace. In addition, the funds will be used to acquire sports accessories like balls, uniforms, whistles, shoes, nets and all the necessary material to give young people and the entire local population the opportunity to play and grow up in a safe and peaceful place. This thus, is a project that has great potential: sport is an important means of enhancing personal and social development, working on interpersonal skills, inclusion, and respect for others.

For more information on the 1 November race, please visit: https://www.corsadeisanti.it/ 

For more information on the project visit www.missionidonbosco.org

• Title Title
• Title Title
• Title Title
•  

Tweet