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Cross Cultures and its Open Fun Football Schools (OFFS) programme is an official UEFA Football and Social Responsibility Partner. Hereby the programme has received invaluable political and moral support from which we benefit in our daily contact with the national football associations and the local football clubs. Further we have received technical support through participation in UEFA Grassroots Conferences and received substantial financial resources for the promotion of grassroots football through our programme. Our partner cooperation agreement with UEFA was renewed in 2007 and runs until June 2011 with a commitment by UEFA of an annual contribution of 200,000 €.
Likewise, Cross Cultures maintains a Nordic donor platform currently comprising Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Our present contracts with the Nordic partners expire by end 2010 except from two contracts entered with SIDA; one running from 2009-2012 for the OFFS programme in Moldova and one for a new OFFS programme in Ukraine running from 2010-2013. Consequently, Cross Cultures is busily engaged in a dialogue with the donors to explore their future development strategies in conflict-affected regions and look into new opportunities to extend their involvement in Cross Cultures’ programmes into 2011 onwards in accordance with our Implementation Strategy 2008-2012 . As an implementing partner of the Nordic development programmes we are obliged to pursue their political goals: To stimulate the development of an active and peaceful civil society. In addition to long-term funding and political commitment we also seek a constructive dialogue with the donor organisations on important issues related to sustainability. Generally, all the Nordic governments are shifting their strategies for their bilateral development assistance these years directing their support to national counterparts rather than pursuing a regional approach to facilitate development, peace and stability in recipient countries. To us improved mobility and communication across borders between communities as well as between countries are the decisive steppingstones to promote peaceful co-existence, tolerance and inclusion. Therefore – and based on our comprehensive hands-on experience across conflict-affected regions - Cross Cultures consistently advocates the combination of regional and community-based interventions for building and sustaining peace and stability in conflict affected areas in our dialogue with donors and partners.
Untill end 2009, Cross Cultures enjoyed partner cooperation with Novo Nordisk based on a Corporate Social Responsibility sponsorship agreement that was entered by the parties in 2005. The annual Novo Nordisk contribution of 34,000 € was earmarked for Fun Football events under the heading ‘School Challenge Day’ for World Diabetes Day on 14 November. Since 2007 Statoil through its branch in Azerbaijan has contributed with financial support to our programme activities in Azerbaijan. In 2010 their support also includes a sponsorship for the OFFS programme in Georgia. Cross Cultures also receives sponsor support from SOCAR, the state-owned oil company of Azerbaijan. Cross Cultures appreciates these sponsorships and hopefully the positive exposure and results achieved in the Azerbaijan programme will help us to sign new agreements for 2011 and beyond with the two companies.
Mercy Corps, an US-based relief and development organisation, donated invaluable material support to Cross Cultures in 2008 and 2009 for the OFFS programmes across the Balkan region, Moldova and Trans Caucasus. Unfortunately the partnership did not continue beyond 2009 as Nike decided to terminate their material sponsorship for Mercy Corps in 2009.
In 2007, Cross Cultures signed a funding agreement with the private Danish Villum Kann Rasmussen Foundation for financial support to programme activities in the Balkan region running from 2008 to 2012 with an annual contribution of 80,500 €. In early 2008 Cross Cultures received grant approval from another Danish foundation, The Rockwool Foundation, for financial support to street sport and club formation activities in Lebanon in the period 2008 to 2010. Initially, the foundation board approved to fund activities for one year. In early 2009, the secretariat of the foundation evaluated the project achievements and based on the positive assessment the board decided to approve funding for another two years.
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