Lionel Messi and Serena Williams promote new campaign to educate children

Messi will be promoting a UNICEF campaign

New York, Jan 10 (IANS)

Argentine footballer Lionel Messi and American tennis star Serena Williams are promoting a new campaign to help some of the 58 million children who are out of school get an education.

The "1 in 11" campaign is organised by the UN children's agency UNICEF, the FC Barcelona Foundation and the Qatar Foundation's Reach Out to Asia (ROTA) organisation, reports Xinhua.

The campaign, named for the one in 11 primary school-age children who are not in school, initially aims to help over 500,000 marginalised youngsters in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal, with a goal of expanding to more countries.

A campaign film featuring Messi and Williams will be shown during Sunday's La Liga match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

The organisers said the campaign hopes to raise between $12 million and $15 million to kick start the project at an art auction at Sotheby's in London next month.

Messi said in a statement that he is supporting the campaign. "I believe every child has the right to fulfil their potential and realise their dreams,” Messi said.

Williams' statement expressed her wish of getting the number of youngers not going to school "down to zero".