Asian football's desire to use the game for social development was underlined at a historic launch of the new AFC Dream Asia Foundation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday. 
In front of an invited audience the AFC President, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, announced the formation of the foundation which will aid communities across Asia in five key areas. 
The AFC President, who will be Patron of the Foundation, outlined that the new and transparent organisation will provide funds and work with major NGOs in the areas of: Children and Young People; Health; Education and Integrity; Social Inclusion and Diversity; and Humanitarian Aid. 
The AFC President added: "Football has the unique ability to unite people across borders. It is a powerful force and we working in football have the responsibility to channel that power to positive causes. 
"The AFC Dream Asia Foundation will pool resources, through partnerships, using the power of football to help people in need across the continent." The AFC Dream Asia Foundation received two substantial donations from AFC Senior Vice-President Mr Praful Patel of India and AFC Dream Asia Award recipient Sultan Bin Fahad Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. On behalf of Sultan Bin Fahad Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, AFC Social Responsibility Chairman Ahmed Eid S. Al Harbi on Wednesday handed over a cheque of 100,000USD to the foundation at the launch event. 
Patel has also generously made a donation of $100,000 which will give the Foundation the best possible start. At the same the AFC will make an annual contribution to the Dream Asia Foundation by donating a percentage of the AFC Champions League prize money pool to its budget. 
The foundation, which was approved by the AFC Executive Committee yesterday, will provide a clear, transparent and efficient way of distributing aid. In addition, its tasks will include the evaluation of need for assistance across the AFC Member Associations, monitoring progress of ongoing projects and ensuring accountability and transparency of all funds. 
The foundation will operate as a trust and a board of trustees will oversee its work and finances. The names of the trustees will be announced in due course. 
The AFC is already working on social responsibility projects in various part of Asia, including typhoon-hit Tacloban in the Philippines, in the earthquake-hit mountains of Nepal and also the Southern prefecture of Japan which has suffered from floods. This work, along with new partnerships with UN and other agencies will be included under the umbrella of the new AFC Dream Asia Foundation.

Source:  QNA