OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, November 16 /PRNewswire/ --

- The Barcelona FC Foundation Already has 12 Support Centres, With a Presence in 10 Countries and 4 Continents.

The president of Barcelona FC, Joan Laporta, together with a wide representation of the club's board of directors, has inaugurated a new support centre (XICS) today in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, that will provide vitally important help for the area's poor children. By doing this, the Barcelona FC Foundation will be contributing to the alleviation of the devastating effects that the summer floods have had in the African country.

    (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091116/PIV366729-a )

    (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091116/PIV366729-b )

The XICS is located in the Bogodogo neighbourhood, an area where low income families live, with little economic solvency, high rates of illiteracy and a lack of schooling among children and adults. This neighbourhood was one of the worst affected by the torrential rains last September. The support centre, which began operations in October, covers a total area of 22,830 m2, of which 5,397 m2 have been built on. The Burkina Faso XICS consists of 3 wings, a library, a kitchen, 5 offices, a sanitation area with showers, an all-purpose room, washrooms and an all-purpose sports area of 17,433 m2. It will be managed by a team of 13 people, among them social workers, teachers, sports presenters and a cook with an assistant.

In doing this, the Barcelona FC Foundation, which has invested close to 200,000 Euros in the Burkina Faso XICS, expands its support network and now has 12 XICS centres around the world, with a presence in 10 countries and 4 continents: Catalonia, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Brazil, India - with two centres, Mexico - with two centres, Malawi and Ecuador. All of them receive the assistance of local organisations and authorities that help a total of 10,000 children around the world.

The XICS centres form a part of the proprietary programmes that, together with the Sport Solidarity Conferences, drive the Barcelona FC Foundation with the objective of promoting solidarity and cooperation, through sport, among the most disadvantaged.

This activity is all reinforced with a secondary line of action based on collaborative programmes with the United Nations through pioneering alliances with UNICEF, UNESCO and UNHCR. Since 2006, the Barcelona FC Foundation has helped more than 120,000 children all over the world.

PR Contact: Xaiver.guarte@fcbarcelona.cat, +34-934963760

SOURCE Futbol Club Barcelona

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