Football for a cause - 26th October 2022

The Street Child World Cup took place in Doha in Qatar this year. And for the first time, there were teams from Palestine and Syria taking part. The competition included 8 days of football matches with 28 women's and men's teams from 24 countries.

However, the purpose of the games isn't just about winning football matches. It’s also a way to provide better opportunities for street children.

At 10 years old, Hazem Attar escaped conflict in Syria with his family. He describes how they risked their lives to reach Turkey by sea.

Hazem Attar: "We moved from Syria to Turkey by sea in 2016. I thought that the boat that took us would be modern and everyone would have their own room. But there ended up being more than 500 refugees on board, and we only just made it. Thank God we arrived OK."

Street Child United, which puts on the event every four years, works to improve the situation of disadvantaged children. It's trying to provide legal identity, access to education and a safe environment for them. Its aim is to get these children heard by their governments.

Julia Pimenta, manager at Street Child, explains that football's also a way to get the attention of these children's governments.

Julia Pimenta: "Football is the language that we all speak here. So even though we don't speak the same languages, we understand each other. We understand playing football. So football is also the way for these young people to bond so they can deliver their message to the governments to talk serious when we need to. But is only possible because of football."

Hanin and Hazem want people to know about human rights in their countries and to see families reunited.

Hanin Saleh: "This is the first time that Palestine is participating in a youth World Cup. We came here to talk about our country and the rights of our country and our rights, and we are so happy to be here in Doha. The right to play, the right to education, the right to express ourselves."

Hazem Attar: "We want a safe country. The second thing we are asking for is for families to be reunited. Currently, Syrians are separated, whether they are in Europe or elsewhere."