Qatar Women's Sport Committee (QWSC) hosted the joint initiative between Qatar Airways and the 'Save the Dream' programme of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) to empower girls through sport and with the participation of Brazilian star of the street children's foundation Jessica Duval.
Duval participated in the friendly football match organised by the committee on the outdoor grass court at its headquarters, between the Qatari women's team and Al Sadd academy's team.
The match was preceded by a seminar where the Brazilian player talked about her experience in football and the stages she went through until she became a star in her country.
She expressed her delight at participating in the initiative launched by Qatar Airways and the 'Save the Dream' programme.
Jessica is a 16-year-old girl from Favela (the shantytowns) in Rio de Janeiro. She is currently participating in an awareness project with Qatar Airways and Save the Dream about women in sports associated with the FIFA Women's World Cup.
The initiative aims to give girls in Qatar and the rest of the world an opportunity to learn from the experience of girls living in other countries and their achievements in life and education, thanks to sport as a means to face difficulties.
It is also an opportunity to learn from Jessica's experience about the impact of sport on changing her life and the lives of other girls living in poor localities.
This initiative is part of the various programmes undertaken by different sectors of the county to promote Qatar 2022 World Cup and encourage women's football.
Executive Director of the Women's Sport Committee, Amna al-Qasimi thanked Qatar Airways and the ICSS for their efforts to develop women's football in the country by focusing on the national teams and clubs, expanding the participation in this game, and transferring experience to players and clubs in the country.
She also said that such initiatives will have an important impact in the development and sustainability of women's football activity in the country, which in recent years has witnessed a remarkable development resulting in the emergence of a large number of the distinguished players of different age groups, both at the level of clubs or teams.
Jessica Duval participated in the official opening of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, where Qatar Airways supported many interesting events before the opening whistle.
The opening ceremony was attended by Jessica, whose her trip from favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to the French capital, Paris, represented a touching story about her extreme passion for football and she was able to attend the opening match.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director Special Projects at the International Centre of Sport Security, Save the Dream, Siham Alawami said that Jessica is a player who grew up in poor localities and was able to become a celebrity in her country. She participated in the Street Child World Cup, which was held on the sidelines of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Duval got her country's title for this category and became a star under the age of 17, Alawami said.
At the invitation of Qatar Airways and "Save the Dream," Duval was able to watch the opening of the Women's World Cup currently held in France, Alawami said, noting that the Brazilian player came to Qatar to send a message to the world's girls to use sport to achieve their dream.
She also stressed that Duval has now finished filming her life in Brazil, which will be broadcast on Qatar Airways to 200mn people worldwide through the airline's social media channels.
The film carries a message for young people to insist on their dreams and make sport for development and better conditions.
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