Gôl Cymru! running rings around the World

Wales may be out of it, but as the World Cup draws to a close the Red Wall supporters charity Gôl Cymru! has continued its work supporting children’s charities across the globe.

Their latest donation has been to Ysgol Plant Y Brics/The Brick Children School in Nepal. It’s an education and skills project which helps get migrant children into school and women into business. The World Cup host country, Qatar, sees itself as a giving rather than a receiving country, so the fans have been helping children’s causes here in Wales and across the world instead during the tournament.

‘Ysgol Plant y Brics,’ The Brick School, a registered charity, is based in the Kathmandu Valley. Many of the local villages here are almost devoid of working-age men as they emigrate to the Middle East in search of an income. With its Nepalese partner organisation Kopila Nepa, Ysgol Plant y Brics works with children who make bricks for a living, getting them into the classroom and giving them a chance to just be kids. School is not just a right, but a break from brickmaking in the valley and a chance for the children to make friends and have some fun too.

Ysgol Plant Y Brics also provides skills and literacy training for women. It is one of the most impactful programmes and has led to many women setting up their own businesses and earning their own money. This in turn, boosts the income of the families so that there is less hardship or need to be exploited abroad. Over 20 years the charity has seeded many successful small businesses so that families are now supporting themselves.

Carole Green, a trustee of the Brick School said,

‘The Nepalis and Bangladeshis are the most disadvantaged in the hierarchy of migrant workers. We are very grateful for the support of Gôl Cymru! We work in true partnership in Nepal with a professionally paid teaching team in Kathmandu. All the programmes are Nepali-devised and Nepali-led. In Wales, we are all volunteers so every penny goes directly to getting kids into school and women into business. This money from the generous Welsh fans will help us to upskill and educate more families, to improve their life chances and economic choices.’

Tom Griffiths from Gôl Cymru! said,

‘We were made very welcome in Qatar and had a great time there. But all football fans attending the World Cup will have been aware of the issues surrounding human rights and the treatment of migrant workers in the Middle East and the effect the men’s absence has on their families back home. We at Gôl Cymru! are pleased to be able to support Ysgol Plant y Brics, a Welsh charity, which is doing such great work to help Nepalese families to help themselves.’

Gôl Cymru! has been extremely busy before and during our first World Cup finals since 1958. Red Wall fans have been running non-stop for miles and children up and down the country have been singing and dancing, all to raise funds to help others. The supporters were glad to be able to return to Babyspullen in Amsterdam on the first leg of their pre-World Cup tour.’ The fans donated baby grows and toys to this remarkable charity which helps young families across the Netherlands who cannot afford the basics for their newborn babies. Gôl Cymru!  first linked up with them during their visit to the Netherlands last year’s Euro 2020 campaign.

They then travelled on to meet Prague Raptors FC in the Czech Republic, a community team made up of dozens of nationalities. Daz Moss, President of the Raptors, said, ‘The team is trying to make the world a better place by supporting charities helping children suffering from malnutrition, life-threatening illness, poverty and conflict.’

Next stop was the Menyesksce home in Budapest which the supporters visited before Wales played Hungary in 2019. Gôl Cymru! also visited the Dom Klasje children’s home in Osijek, Croatia to make another donation. As well as offering shelter for children without parental care, this home provides educational and leisure activities for children from poor and vulnerable backgrounds and uses sport as a way to integrate young people into society.

The final stop on the way to Qatar was in Belgrade, Serbia, where the team returned to homes under the care of the Centre for the Protection of Infants, Children and Youths, whom they have visited numerous times since our first visit to the Serbian capital in 2003.

Back in Wales the fans themselves chose a range of charities to support. £500 worth of nappies, formula, babygrows, wipes, towels, lotion and toys were donated to Baby Bundles in Newport to help new mothers and families in need. Ingrid Wilson from Bundles said, ‘Such huge generosity from the football fans to assist babies’ families referred to us at Community House. A huge thank you to all who donated money, went shopping, knitted soft clothes, blankets and toys, and rooted out preloved equipment and clothes – all for us to pass on.’

Neil Dymock from Gôl Cymru! said,

‘This is a charity where everyone can play a part – from buying a raffle ticket in a pre-match party, donating on Just Giving, or running a marathon. We are so grateful to all the Wales fans who help us to help children here at home and abroad.’

Gôl Cymru! wants to reach every part of Wales and has given £500 to North Wales Young Carers; this will pay for the youngsters’ Christmas trip to the pantomime and for some treats at the theatre. The fans have also supported Jig-so in Cardigan which facilitates learning through play and offers support and advice on parenting skills and child development. Their final donation was to Brighter Futures in Rhyl, a community group which organises specific activities for children which include activity packs and breakfast clubs.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt