Didi brings joy to local school
Local school children in Jakarta were given a morning to remember as the Liverpool FC Foundation were joined by an Anfield legend in supporting Standard Chartered's 'Seeing is Believing' campaign.
Coaches from the club's official charity popped along to the SMPN 16 school with Istanbul hero Dietmar Hamann to help deliver eye-sight tests to children as part of Reds main sponsor Standard Chartered's global campaign to tackle avoidable blindness across the globe.
Their aim is to raise $100m by 2020 to try to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment and create eye-care services in some of the poorest communities around the world.
Upon arriving at the school, the LFC Foundation and Hamann were given a rapturous reception by excited local kids before lending a helping hand with the eye testing.
Afterwards, they held a coaching session on an outdoor futsal pitch before the club's official mascot, Mighty Red, helped heighten the excitement levels by taking part in the post-session awards ceremony.
LFC Foundation international activity manager, Forbes Duff, said: "The children have been getting their eyes tested and then, if there are any problems, Standard Chartered will help them look for solutions to improve their eyesight.
"We've come along to support the event, spend some time with the kids and play some football.
"It's a great incentive. They're trying to raise $100m by 2020 and if we can help them do that, help raise the profile and, more importantly, help people with any visual impairments or that are blind, then as a club that's what we'll try and do.
"From the Foundation's point of view, we're trying to raise our profile and show that the club wants to give back to the community - not just in the UK, but all around the world."
Hamann added: "The Seeing is Believing campaign was successfully started in Africa and now Standard Chartered have brought it here. It's worked really well and given people their eyesight back. For $10-15 and a small procedure, people who have never seen their children or grandchildren are able to see again.
"What Standard Chartered are doing in association with Liverpool around the world is unbelievable. It makes such a difference to people's lives. It's a fantastic campaign and I'm delighted to be a part of it."
Since launching in 2003, Seeing is Believing has helped more than 41 million people across the planet. Liverpool have twice given their shirt sponsor logo to the Seeing is Believing campaign - most recently in February for the Anfield clash with West Bromwich Albion.
The limited edition shirts worn by the players were then signed after the match and auctioned to fans to raise money for the campaign.
Standard Chartered country head of consumer banking, Sajid Rahman, said: "For Standard Chartered, a proud sponsor of Liverpool and have been in Indonesia for 150 years, this is a very exciting and defining moment for our presence in Indonesia.
"We work with different schools to try and ensure preventable blindness is eradicated from the world. We have to say thanks to the Liverpool FC Foundation and others for working with us and helping us to make this happen.
"We are very committed to the programme. In Indonesia over the past five years, we have raised almost 4million US dollars, which has been distributed across different programmes in Indonesia, purely focused on eradicating preventable blindness.
"This is the excitement Liverpool can generate and can go a long way to helping us establish our goal."
To find out more regarding the work of the Liverpool FC Foundation, visit the dedicated website or follow @LFCFoundation on Twitter.