KABUL (AA) – UNICEF and the Afghan cricket board on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding to work together for the promotion of the rights of children in Afghanistan.
"Many people in rural areas of Afghanistan like cricket and they love the national team players. We want to send our message through their heroes," Abdul-Aziz Ferotan, UNICEF communication officer in Kabul, told Anadolu Agency.
He said conducting awareness programs through sports was vital.
He said that polio was still a major source of concern in Afghanistan and the problem must be tackled.
"Since many families don't know the importance of vaccinations against polio, we still see cases in the country," he added.
According to UNICEF, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria are the only three countries in the world in which polio remains endemic.
"In order to stamp out polio from Afghanistan, it is crucial that we maintain high levels of childhood immunity against polio in all parts of the country," read a UNICEF statement.
"This can only be done through regular polio immunization campaigns, reaching every child in Afghanistan with the two drops of lifesaving vaccine, every time it is offered," it added.
Ferotan said four polio cases had been registered so far this year in Afghanistan. Thirty-seven cases were registered last year, down from 80 cases in 2011.
- Role models
With a special focus on polio eradication and the right to education, UNICEF and the cricket board will collaborate on campaigns aimed at raising awareness about both issues.
"Cricketers are role models for Afghanistan's young people and their families," Afghan Cricket Board CEO Noor Mohamed Murad told AA.
"They are uniquely placed to raise awareness about important issues, such as polio eradication, healthcare and education for the children of this country," he asserted.
Murad said that by cooperating with UNICEF, cricketers could really make a difference.
Cricket has been played in Afghanistan since the mid-19th century, but the game only really caught on with the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001.
In that year, the Afghanistan Cricket Federation became a member of the International Cricket Council. Two years later, it became a member of the Asian Cricket Council.
In June of this year, Afghanistan received its associate membership in the International Cricket Council.
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