JERUSALEM, April 12, 2011 (WAFA) –Lillian Thuram, renowned French national team football player, is visiting the occupied Palestinian territory for the first time since he was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in France, Tuesday said a UNICEF press release.

He was invited by the Palestinian Football Federation and the French General Consulate in Jerusalem.

Thuram spoke and played with Palestinian children at Burj Al Luq Luq social center in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem.

 “I’ve heard a lot about Palestinian children and the environment in which they grow up,” he said. “Today, I was able to share their enthusiasm and see how determined they are to succeed,” he said.

In the densely populated Old City, the Burj Al-Luq Luq Social Center, supported by UNICEF among others, offers a rare open space where boys and girls can play and practice sport at ease, and receive counseling.

“Children should not be in the streets, where they may be subjected to violence or tempted to participate in unhealthy activities”, said Jean Gough, UNICEF special representative to the occupied Palestinian territories.

“Adolescent-friendly centers help children be children, regardless of the political climate. They provide a safe environment where youngsters can feel free to express their creativity and begin to build a better future,” he said.

The Adolescent-Friendly Space helps children develop stress-management skills and practice sport to forget about the difficult environment they live in. The Space also provides remedial Arabic and Mathematic classes to help children stay in school, and raises awareness on substance abuse.

In 2008, after a career that took him to the summit of world football in clubs as prestigious as FC Barcelona and Juventus and in the French national team, Lillian Thuram left football to launch his Foundation on Education against Racism. He was appointed UNICEF / France Goodwill Ambassador last October, as he led his first mission to Haiti.

M.A.