Indonesia: Gunners star supports education project

Former Arsenal star Robert Pires was in Indonesia last month to see first-hand Save the Children’s work in the region.

Save the Children has been Arsenal’s global charity partner since 2011. Pires, who won 79 caps for his country and lifted the World Cup in 1998, is now an ambassador for the Arsenal Foundation, which was set up in 2012 and supports a range of our work in the UK and overseas.

In 2013, the Foundation pledged £300k to support a new three-year project in Indonesia, helping 4,000 people in Bandung Province, West Java by providing them with enhanced vocational education and employment skills.

Pires met young people who are taking part in the project, and in between showing off his keepie-uppie skills, found out about the difference Save the Children is making to their lives.

“We’re giving children the chance to learn softer skills like leadership, capacity building and how to get a better job,” says Ricardo Caivano, Save the Children country director for Indonesia.

“Arsenal is so admired around the world,” adds Pires, “and to know that a club like that is behind you is really inspiring. A football club is a built on community, and now the community is global”.

Find out more about our partnership with Arsenal.