South African charities to benefit from Sony product donations after the FIFA World Cup

As a part of FIFA’s Football For Hope initiative, more than 4,700 Sony "Bravia" LCD TVs, as well as some 350 Sony VAIO laptop computers, previously used to ensure the smooth running of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, will be donated to a variety of schools, clinics, community youth projects and social development initiatives.

As the largest single-sport event on earth, the FIFA World Cup requires substantial quantities of information technology equipment / products to operate successfully. A large proportion of this equipment for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa was provided by FIFA’s Partner Sony. As the 2010 FIFA World Cup draws to its climax, this product will now be redeployed as part of FIFA and Sony’s long-term commitment to provide disadvantaged communities with the means to enhance their media and communications skills.

"We feel, at the conclusion of this wonderful tournament, that it’s imperative that the equipment provided by Sony for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will serve a social development initiative within the country," explained Hidemi Tomita, General Manager, CSR Department, Sony Corporation. "The Football For Hope initiative has empowered organisations to touch lives through education and awareness in key areas of social development. As a corporation we are committed to support the sustainable development under our Corporate Social Responsibility key concept, ‘For the Next Generation.’"

The information technology equipment used by FIFA and the LOC at the FIFA World Cup is managed by the IT division of Match Services AG. They have kindly committed to ensuring all the hardware and software is comprehensively prepared prior to its redeployment.

The substantial storage requirements and ultimate distribution of the equipment, meanwhile, has been generously donated by the logistics service provider for this event, DB Schenker. FIFA’s head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Federico Addiechi, underlined the significance of FIFA and the LOC’s decision to launch the initiative at the closing ceremony of the Football For Hope Festival.

He said: "It is highly significant that Sony and FIFA together with the LOC should begin this wonderful initiative here at The Football For Hope Festival. It continues to demonstrate that we are committed to using the platform of our flagship event in order to make a real and lasting difference to the less advantaged communities of South Africa. These are the people we are doing this for and these are the people that are making a real change around the world."