The footballer Mikaël Silvestre, former French international, 33 years, Werder Brême defender, has inaugurated this week in Haiti, a new vocational training center "The School of Hope." This project, supported by UNESCO, will enable 60 young people aged 18 to 25 years to learn a trade, by receiving professional training for a period of one year, as a mason, carpenter or mechanic. "Future students were thrilled. The goal is to give them the assets to rebuild their country", clarified the footballer.

Mikaël Silvestre has personally funded 50% of this project estimated at 170.000 euros, the rest was collected from former teammates and charitable activities. "All my former teammates of Arsenal gave one day of work as well as two Chelsea players. We also held an auction in Rennes."

Three other "Schools of Hope" have already been funded, Guinea, Niger and Senegal. "Education is the best way to fight against poverty. I had the chance to have a professional training, I try to give back a little of what I received in my childhood because I had the chance to attend school, learn to read, write and at the same time to be trained to football, things that many children in the world can not make [...] I became interested to the issue of the education of children with the birth of my first daughter and then I contacted UNICEF in early 2000. But with them, the action was sporadic, I was only a spokesperson, there, with the UNESCO I am fully invested in the projects" has declared Mikaël Silvestre.

Learn more about Mikaël Silvestre :

Mikaël Silvestre is a French professional footballer born August 9, 1977 in Chambray-lès-Tours (Indre-et-Loire), and plays as a defender. His father Frank, a native of Guadeloupe, was meanwhile a footballer amateur in Indre-et-Loire. Mikaël Silvestre is the first cousin of Franck Silvestre, another French international and namesake of his father. He evolves since August 30, 2010 to the Werder Brême (Germany).

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3091-haiti-education-the-footballer-mikael-silvestre-will-inaugurate-a-vocational-school.html

BF/ HaitiLibre