Charity head to meet Pele over fundraising
The head of Irish charity Christian Blind Mission is to meet football legend Pele ahead of the World Cup final in Germany to plan a series of concerts to raise funds.
David McAllister, director of CBM Ireland, is hoping to discuss how the world cup winner can assist the charity in its work for people with disabilities all over the world, including Brazil.
Events are being planned across Europe for later in the year and it is hoped one will be held in Ireland which Pele will attend.
It is the second time the pair have met after Pele was taken on a tour of several CBM projects for deaf and blind children in San Paolo.
“Pele was very impressed with the work we do in Brazil,” Mr McAllister said. “He met and spoke with some of the deaf children who attend the Instituto Santa Teresinha.”
The Instituto Santa Teresinha is supported by both CBM and the Fundacao Altina Ventura, a Brazilian charity organisation that runs eye hospitals and outreach programmes in the state of Pernambuco.
“We will be working on the details and hope that Pele will also attend the event,” Mr McAllister said.
“It’s a great plus to have Pele on our team, he is an internationally renowned figure and we are very grateful for his support, and that of [his wife] Assiria.”
CBM is a medical charity that works to cure blindness, deafness and other disabilities worldwide. It does this through medical intervention, education and rehabilitation, emergency relief and training, research, advocacy and awareness creation.
The charity is active in 113 countries on four continents. In 2004 we worked on 1,019 projects and helped more than 12 million people.
