L-R: SOSVE Director Sophie Glesener; Sven Fielitz; Credit: SOSVE

Luxembourg athlete Sven Fielitz has raised €3,020 for SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde, for its project supporting young people in northern Iraq.

Following the “SOS Freestyle Challenge for Iraq”, and after months of confinement, local freestyle footballer Sven Fielitz has presented a cheque to SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde Director Sophie Glesener and Communications and Programmes Manager Mélissa Gaj. The sum of €3,020 was raised during the month of February to rally the public to Mr Fielitz's project to raise funds for the resilience programme that SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde supports in the north of the Iraq in displaced persons camps - a programme which had to be interrupted due to the pandemic and the closure of the camps and which is restarting to meet the most urgent needs of children and their families.

On 29 February 2020, Sven Fielitz crisscrossed the streets of Luxembourg City for 5 kilometres (the distance travelled had been set according to the amount raised) from Kirchberg to the Place d'Armes, juggling his ball. The young athlete took up the challenge to mobilise a large public around a good cause. He commented: “Juggling with my ball is always a great pleasure, but doing it to help young people traumatised by years of war and still facing a crisis situation is a truly rewarding experience! I would like to thank the wonderful team who have accompanied me and all those who have contributed to this action".

During the cheque presentation, SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde Director Sophie Glesener thanked the young athlete along with the donors who embarked on this solidarity adventure: “I am delighted to see that once again an action taken here in Luxembourg allows us to mobilise for the most vulnerable children, in this case the young victims of the war in Iraq who, today, due to the Covid-19 crisis, are in even greater need of protection and essential psychosocial support so that they can rebuild themselves”.

Sven Fielitz and SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde also produced a video to encourage as many people as possible to embark on their own solidarity challenge.