(ANS - Niterói) - The Salesian Youth Centre in Niterói, a town near Rio de Janeiro, hosted last Saturday, 6 July, the inauguration ceremony for a third socio-sports school opened in Brazil by the Salesian Missions Office from Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation. The school will benefit about 200 children, teenagers and young people in the most disadvantaged areas of the city.

The big surprise for the 200 children and young people present at the inauguration was the participation of the player from Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team - with which he recently won the Confederations Cup - Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, as a testimonial.

The boys, who were not told of the football champion's visit beforehand, got over their excitement and were applauded by all the guests for their performances of capoeira, makulele and dances on the programme.

Marcelo - as usual – was smiling and affable during his stay at the Salesian Youth Centre: besides signing dozens of autographs and posing for photos, he also danced, played percussion instruments and played football with the smaller children in the socio-sport school, which has been christened "Sport for Peace".

The event saw the participation of various Niterói civil, religious and political leaders, who wanted to join the children and young people for this celebration. First among those present were representatives of the promoters of the initiative: Fr Agustín Pacheco, Director of the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid; Ms Silvia Montes, Head of the America section of the Real Madrid Foundation; and Ms Janaina Vilella, Director of Communications and External Relations for the energy company "Endesa Brasil."

The Niterói socio-sports school project plans that those for whom the initiative is intended will be able, outside lesson times, to play football trained by sports coaches specifically qualified in the the Real Madrid Foundation "They play, we educate" programme. The 200 child participants will also receive educational and nutritional support, regular health checks, family and psychological support, and will be able to take part in social and educational workshops - in gymnastics, crafts, capoeira, reading, citizenship education ... - And training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values education, prevention of alcohol, tobacco and drugs abuse.

Published on 09/07/2013