EFDN Highlights: April 2022

EFDN Highlights: April 2022

As 2022 comes to an end, EFDN invites you to look back on this year’s top activities, projects and news stories. Take a look at some highlights from April.

Shakhtar delivered aid to 6 migrant facilities within a week

FC Shakhtar continued to provide comprehensive assistance to migrants in the Lviv Oblast

Every day, the staff of the club divisions participated in ensuring smooth operation of the central humanitarian aid warehouse in the Lviv Oblast. Over this period, they unloaded dozens of trucks with humanitarian goods, sorted and packed hundreds of tons of cargoes that have been forwarded to many towns and villages across Ukraine affected by the war.

Equipping a college for migrants

In addition, the club specialists have carried out a significant amount of work to restore power supply systems in more than 120 residential and educational premises of the Agricultural College in the village of Vyshnia, Lviv Oblast, where students of one of Kharkiv’s universities were accommodated temporarily.

Humanitarian cargoes continue to arrive

Shakhtar actively helped the Centre for Support of Internally Displaced Persons at the Arena Lviv, where migrants from different regions of Ukraine are arriving. Later on, several trucks with humanitarian goods from DTEK were received and processed.
 
Targeted assistance to those in need

FC Shakhtar staff delivered humanitarian aid to six separate institutions specially equipped for temporary stay of people from the affected regions of Ukraine. The humanitarian goods included bedding, electrical appliances, food, water, personal care items, household chemicals and a lot more.

FAI provided memorable experience for fans

The Football Association of Ireland and DHL Express Ireland, official logistics partner to the FAI, came together to offer unique football experiences to young Irish fans suffering with illness, injury or incapacitation, using the new FAI BEAM Robot sponsored by DHL.

In a trial run of the new robotic equipment, Simon was able to meet and chat with members of the Republic of Ireland squad from the comfort of his own home, using and controlling this unique telepresence robotic equipment.

The main intention of the robot is to provide ill, injured or incapacitated children and young people with the opportunity to visit a stadium, attend a match, a training session or indeed any football event remotely. The robot is equipped with software that allows real interaction with the robot becoming the mouth, eyes, and ears of the young fan. Through an app, the young fan can join the players in the stadium or training ground making it possible for a fan who cannot attend the match due to illness or injury to join the players line-up in the tunnel, be pitch-side, and interact with the players.

“This is a great innovation and we are delighted to partner with DHL to make it accessible to young Ireland fans who not be able to access a stadium or a match. Children with a serious illness or injury can feel socially isolated and excluded and this isolation and exclusion can lead to even poorer mental and physical health. The BEAM robot programme can provide access for children who are hospitalised, incapacitated or undergoing treatment from home to enjoy the experience of visiting their favourite football club and perhaps meeting their favourite players through a robot that is remotely controlled by the child themselves. […] The FAI intends to make the robot available to League of Ireland clubs to assist their community outreach. Many LOI clubs already deliver great programmes and activities to include young and older people locally and the BEAM robot can further increase the club’s community engagement capacity by providing an opportunity to reach local children who though illness may have become isolated or disconnected from the live sport experience.”

FAI Community Development Manager, Derek O’Neill

Already many children have enjoyed a unique robot experience at clubs like FC Barcelona, be it a match-day, a training session or club tour. The children involved said that for the time they were operating the telepresence robot, it felt like they were outside the hospital and that they also felt closer to the outside world.

Ferencvarosi TC scored for health on world health day

On 7 April we called all clubs, leagues and FAs to highlight their health and well-being initiatives. Sport has a role to play in achieving many different health objectives. Participation in physical activity can have a significant impact on the health of individuals and communities.  

On this special occasion, Ferencvárosi Torna Club delivered Scoring for Health sessions for nearly 120 pupils of a primary school. The program aimed to promote healthy lifestyles, healthy nutrition and regular physical activity for the young participants. The World Health Day is also a priority during the #morethanfootball campaign weeks, so the club was keen to highlight the importance of this initiative.