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“We have to give hope back to the children of Swaziland”

Social area director Rafael Yuste has commented on what he has described as an unforgettable visit to Swaziland, where he has learnt of the first results of the alliance between Barça and Unicef.

Rafael Yuste will never forget the three days he spent with president Joan Laporta and other FC Barcelona representatives in Swaziland. He was able to view first hand what is being done in this small state in southern Africa thanks to the help offered by FC Barcelona and its Foundation. “There really are no words to describe what you feel when you look into the eyes of children with absolutely no hope left, most of whom are ill with Aids. We want to give them some hope, and for that they have to be able to live. Without life there is no hope, and that is our objective”.

“Our help is like rainwater”

Swaziland is in a dramatic situation, where more than 100,000 children have been orphaned by Aids and are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. “The Unicef representative in the country, Jama Gulaid, told us that our aid is like rainwater. Every drop that falls from the sky is a drop of happiness”, continues Yuste.
Thanks to the one and a half million euros that FC Barcelona has sent to Swaziland, Unicef has been able to build drinkable water wells and toilets that have helped in the construction of 23 Community Support Centres to care for thousands of orphaned boys and girls.

A club with soul

Rafael Yuste spoke about the club’s charitable spirit. “Barça is a club with a heart and soul. And that is why we have this desire to help the most underprivileged, especially the child population”.
Yuste added that the experience has made him think and realise just how lucky we are to have been born in the first world.