Karina LeBlanc —Canadian soccer team's former goalkeeper and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Ambassador— arrived in Peru's rainforest Iquitos City to promote the practice of soccer with values, a strategy to keep youngsters away from risk and violence situations.
Thus, LeBlanc and a delegation from
UNICEF Peru met with soccer teams made up of teenagers attending local schools in Belen district.
On the field, she provided recommendations to the squads, which participated in the "Soccer for Peace and Coexistence" tournament.
At competition, a group of mediators assessed the compliance with the rules based on respect, teamwork, honesty, resilience, and efforts.
"It's very interesting to see that this methodology does not rely on referees, but rather on mediators (…),"
LeBlanc expressed in this sense.
For her part, UNICEF representative Marilu Wiegold pointed out "the practice of sports as an instrument for social change is very important, since it fosters teamwork, peaceful coexistence, discipline, and respect among boys and girls (…)."
At the end of the event, Peruvian Soccer Federation (FPF) representative Renzo Moscoso remarked this
UNICEF commitment intends to promote the rights of children and teenagers, as well as contribute towards the expansion of FPF's human development program throughout the Inca country.