Dr. Gabriele Inaara Aga Khan, Amabassador for FIFA Football for Hope: “20 centres for 2010 is the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA Worldcup South Africa. The campaign will create 20 Football for Hope Centres to promote Education, Public Health and Football.”

Video: FIFA: 20 Centres for 2010

Begum Inaara Aga Khan took part in the annual Digital Life Design (DLD) Conference at HVB Forum on 26th January, 2010 in Munich, Germany.

The DLD conference seeks to combine the thoughts and talents of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, scientists, artists, investors, philosophers and creative thinkers from all over the world and to serve as a platform for progress in a time of change. It is a melting pot of ideas, experiences and inspirations as well as being a starting point for new partnerships, investments and business development.

Inaara Aga Khan delivered a warm welcome to economist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. Professor Yunus called for increased investment in social businesses to tackle the world’s most pressing problems such as poverty and health care.

DLD was founded by Stephanie Czerny and Marcel Reichart in 2005 to develop a global community for digital innovation and beyond. DLD is chaired by Hubert Burda, founder of Hubert Burda Media and art historian, and Yossi Vardi, a serial investor in digital projects. Throughout the year the DLD community meets in various styles and formats around the globe, including DLD dinners and events in Palo Alto, London, Tel Aviv, Moscow and New York.

More Photos:

• LIFE.com: Dr. Hubert Burda and Begum Inaara Aga Khan at DLD Conference 2010
• LIFE.com: Stephanie Czerny (Founder of DLD), Singer Donovan, Dr. Hubert Burda, Begum Inaara Aga Khan and Prof. Muhammad Yunus
• LIFE.com: Dr. Hubert Burda, Begum Inaara and Prof. Muhammad Yunus
• LIFE.com: Dr. Hubert Burda, Begum Inaara and Founder of DLD, Stephanie Czerny

It was a most romantic winter’s weekend at the Sonnenhof, the headquarters of SOS-Project für Mensch und Tier e.V. : The first snow was drifting softly then sunshine broke through, lending its sparkle to the Bavarian winterscape.

To celebrate the last weekend of Advent, the founder of SOS Projects, Renate Thyssen-Henne, her daughter Inaara Aga Khan and Co-operation Partner Michael Aufhauser (Stiftung Aiderbichl), invited many guests to enjoy a particularly diverse programme of activities from noon to 6pm on the Saturday and Sunday.

The main attraction for the children during their walk about was the opportunity to meet and interact with the dogs of the Sonnenhof.

There were numerous stands offering mulled wine, children’s punch, and various delicacies.

The highlight of the pre-Christmas celebrations at the Sonnenhof is already legendary charity raffle, the profits of which go to the SOS Projects. A raffle ticket costs just two Euros and every second ticket is guaranteed a prize. 2500 prizes went to the lucky winners.

The generous prizes included 1000 bottles of wine (Global Wine), delicious Lebkuchen and spicy biscuits from Lambertz, FC Bayern donated shirts and balls, 70 giant books on art from the Rolf Heyne Collection, Escada handbags, woollen garments from Maendler, bicycles, and much more.

The first FIFA’s Football for Hope Centre in Khayelitsha, in the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa opened its doors to bring new hope into the community and to help tackle HIV/AIDS and some of the biggest issues facing young people .

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and FIFA Ambassador for Football For Hope, Begum Inaara Aga Khan were joined by Premier of Western Cape, Madame Helen Zille, 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa CEO Danny Jordaan, South African Football Association President Kirsten Nematandani and Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Dan Plato at the celebration of the latest milestone of 20 Centres for 2010, the Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

During the opening speech, Princess Inaara said “football is a common language that has the power to unite the world. Football is the one and only common language in a divided world that is in desperate need of being united.”.

Kayelitsha centre, which is the first of 20 community centres, will help to tackle HIV/AIDS and some of the biggest issues facing young people across the African continent. “With the opening of this Football for Hope Centre, we can now see the real legacy that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will leave in Africa,” said the FIFA President. “This centre will use people’s passion for football to transform communities and to provide hope and opportunities for young people. Many years from now people will still be benefiting from this and the other 20 Centres for 2010.”

The next five centres will be built by FIFA and its strategic ally streetfootballworld in disadvantaged communities in Kenya, Namibia, Mali, Rwanda and Ghana and will address crucial issues like health, education, gender equality, peace-building and the environment as well as HIV and AIDS – considered to be one of the greatest challenges faced by young people in Africa.

The centre in Khayelitsha has been built in an area once notorious for crime and violence as part of an initiative to breathe new life into the community. It provides rooms for public health services and informal education, office space, common space for community gatherings and a football turf pitch.

Each of the 20 centres will be run by an existing community organisation. The Football for Hope Centre in Khayelitsha will be managed by Grassroot Soccer, a South African-based non-profit organisation that uses football to educate young people about HIV and AIDS and empower them with the knowledge to live HIV-free.

The 32 teams participating at 2010 FIFA World Cup™ finals discovered their fate on the evening of 4th of December, 2009 when the Final Draw for South Africa 2010 took place in Cape Town.

An estimated global television audience of 200 million joined the 2,000 invited guests in the Draw Hall in watching the colourful and entertaining ceremony unfold. With African sporting stars such as athlete Haile Gebreselassie, rugby player John Smit, cricketer Makhaya Ntini, and footballers Matthew Booth and Simphiwe Dludlu assisting with the draw, along with England’s David Beckham, it was always going to be an exhilarating occasion, but the undoubted centrepiece came when the eight groups were revealed.

The first speech of the night came from the man without whom a FIFA World Cup in South Africa would never have been possible: the country’s former president Nelson Mandela. The 91-year-old, speaking in a special video message, urged his nation to make the most of their opportunity as tournament hosts. “We must strive for excellence in our hosting of the World Cup, while at the same time ensuring the event leaves a lasting benefit to all our people,” he said.

Next it was time for two special presidents to take to the stage. FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and South African President Jacob Zuma showed their excitement at both the Final Draw and the 2010 FIFA World Cup itself in an entertaining dialogue lasting several minutes.

As part of 2010 FIFA Worldcup Final Draw celeberation, FIFA will also be unveiling of the new Football For Hope Centre at Khayelitsha in the outskirts of Cape Town. The opening of new centre will mark the start of the Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, which the game’s governing body will be overseeing through the Football For Hope Movement.

Football for Hope ambassador Dr Gabriele Princess Inaara the Begum Aga Khan expressed what the new Centre is hoping to achieve. “We all saw the passion for football come through in the Draw, but there have been a lot of tragedies in this country, with many children dying of AIDS. They are our children and they deserve better. They deserve to be fit and healthy and receive a good education. This is the very role of this Football For Hope Centre and it is for this reason that I am very proud to be its ambassador. This is only a start, however, and other centres will follow.”

FIFA’s Football for Hope movement has a new ambassador: Dr. Gabriele Princess Inaara the Begum Aga Khan. The Princess, who holds a doctorate in law, will immediately begin helping the movement to reach its social objectives and achieve better living conditions for children and young people all around the world.

“FIFA is proud to have gained such a prominent figure as Princess Inaara Aga Khan as an ambassador for the Football for Hope movement and we will work together with her to build a better future,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

The aim of Football for Hope is to promote a high-quality, sustainable social and humanitarian development programme, centred around football, which focuses on the fields of health promotion, peacebuilding, children’s rights and education, anti-discrimination, social integration and the environment. These programmes have been devised with the needs of children and young people in mind and always use football as the central platform for promoting responsibility, fair play and dialogue.

New forms of cooperation

The cooperation between FIFA and Begum Inaara Aga Khan, which is based on a shared vision and mission to build a better future for young people, will see the two parties use a variety of channels and platforms to communicate and bring to life the valuable messages of the Football for Hope movement.

“I’m looking forward to working with FIFA because, as a worldwide organisation, it has the opportunity to reach out to people. Football is the world’s most popular sport, and just as the game and FIFA have the power to inspire millions of people, they also have the power to help them, provided all sectors of society – including governments, the private sector and non-governmental organisations – work hand in hand.”

16 animal sanctuaries in Germany and Austria are to become therapy centres for sick and distressed children, with 1500 ‘four-pawed therapists’ helping to ease children’s suffering. The joint project is between SOS-Projects für Mensch und Tier e.V.’s Sonnenhof and Gut Aicherbichl.

Founded in 2002 by Princess Inaara The Begum Aga Khan, The Sonnenhof has pioneered animal-assisted therapies for sick and traumatised children, using dogs that were themselves victims before they were rescued by SOS Projects. Under the leadership of her mother, Renate Thyssen-Henne, President of SOS-Projects, over 1700 dogs have been taken in at the Sonnenhof and nursed back to health.

Michael Aufhauser’s Gut Aicherbichl comprises 16 animal sanctuaries in Germany and Austria offering life-long protection to more than 1500 animals. The centres are visited by more than 200,000 people every year.

The Begum said: “Now we’re working with Michael Aufhauser, many more children will benefit from animal-assisted therapies.”

The new partnership will also enable a more intensive exchange between schools, rehabilitation centres and clinics and the foundation’s sanctuaries. And it points the way to a new humanitarianism, a closer partnership between humans and animals.

Said the Begum: “Together we want to do more to protect animals for the sake of a common humanitarianism. Because humanitarianism also means protecting animals and nature. If we destroy animals and our environment, we destroy ourselves.”

A gala event at the Berlin Opera on 7 November has raised €280,000 (£250,000) to help AIDS victims overcome the stigma of HIV. 2000 distinguished guests responded to the call of Begum Inaara Aga Khan to attend the 16th Annual Opera Gala for the benefit of the German AIDS Foundation.

Amongst them were members of the newly elected German cabinet, including Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Dr. Guido Westerwelle, Defence Minister Dr. Karl-Theodor Freiherr zu Guttenberg and Health Minister Dr. Philipp Rösler. Minister Guttenberg said: “The subject of AIDS is simply too important. Public awareness must never be allowed to fade.“

The Mayor of Berlin, Mr. Klaus Wowereit said AIDS is still fatal and so people must be reminded of the threat posed by HIV. In a keynote speech, Begum Inaara thanked all the guests and supporters of this annual event from the bottom of her heart. She said: “Even though it has been a difficult year, you have remained committed to helping our fellow human beings who are the unfortunate victims of HIV and AIDS”.

A visit close to her heart: Begum Inaara Aga Khan, chair of the Committee for Festive Opera Gala for the German AIDS Foundation, visited Berlin AIDS Support Centre in Charlottenburg, Berlin. She met with female HIV patients from throughout Germany as well as from migrant communities. Patients, many of whom live in fear of being shunned even by their own families do not dare to talk about their illness fearing that they may be ostracised.

Begum Inaara Aga Khan, mother of two children, sat with the women while they told her about their life stories. She listened sympathetically to their pleas for improvement in care and treatments whilst giving them encouragement and moral support. Only few had the courage to discuss their illness and most of the women preferred to stay anonymous for fear of being recognised.

“These are real human tragedies; these women are in a particularly difficult situation and their fate weighs heavier on them than on the men; they feel immensely guilty” says the Begum, “they are in fear of being stigmatised by society regardless of how they were infected: whether as victims of rape, through infected blood transfusions, through their husband or unprotected sex. Any one of us could become infected, and for that reason alone, it is so important to exercise great personal care and this goes for Germany as well as the rest of the world.”

The women felt well cared for by the Berlin AIDs Support Centre. For them it is the only place where they can come and talk about their personal concerns and where they receive help. Here friendships and solidarity develop amongst fellow patients.

In a video message, the princess appealed to the people of Berlin to continue their support for the German AIDS Foundation so that projects such as, Berlin AIDS Support Centre, get sufficient funding to continue their work. She also urges them to attend the forthcoming 16th Festive Opera Gala, proceeds of which go to support the projects of German AIDS Foundation.

“Responsibility for the illness, caused by the body’s immune deficiency, is everyone’s responsibility. We must not abandon the victims of HIV & AIDS.”

Press

1. BM: 5. Oktobre, 2009
2. Welt: 5. Oktobre, 2009

As the Guest of honour, the Begum, on behalf of Princess Inaara Foundation, attended a conference hosted by the “Herausforderung Zukunft” (Challenges of the future) initiative at the headquarters of BoGeStra in Bochum, at which Prince Albert II of Monaco delivered a keynote speech on “Conservation of the Environment and Energy Politics - from Incompatibility to Lasting Solutions”.

The Prince, who is deeply comitted to the causes concerning environmental protection, established his own “Prince Albert II Foundation” in 2006, which promotes sustainable and equitable management of natural resources.