For those of us who were glued to our television for the past month, we know that Sony was one of the sponsors of the 2010 World Cup. The sponsorship that Sony and FIFA had was partially based on the advertisement that Sony ran during the World Cup, but also how the World Cup infrastructure ran. For those not familiar, it takes a lot of equipment to make the World Cup run. From the 3D Sony camera’s that were used to televise all the matches, to the laptops that were at the disposal of the staff to communicate with one and other. Also, Sony provided thousands of Bravia LCD screens to be placed throughout the studios so all the fans had access to the game, even when they were not seated. But now the games have come and gone and that leaves a lot of equipment around that won’t be needed.

This is where Sony and FIFA’s “Football For Hope” program comes into place. Sony, with the help of FIFA will be donating over 350 Vaio laptops and 4,000 Bravia televisions to local schools, clinics and community youth projects. Hidemi Tomita, Sonys General Manager went on to say:

 “We feel, at the conclusion of this wonderful tournament, that it’s imperative that the equipment provided by Sony for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will serve a social development initiative within the country,” explained Hidemi Tomita, General Manager, CSR Department, Sony Corporation. “The Football For Hope initiative has empowered organizations to touch lives through education and awareness in key areas of social development. As a corporation we are committed to support the sustainable development under our Corporate Social Responsibility key concept, ‘For the Next Generation.'” 

In a time of the global financial trouble and the poverty that is in Africa, it’s nice to see a company step up to the plate and take care of the people. In this case, it makes sure that the community of Africa has access to modern equipment that can help them envision the future and be part of it.

[Via FIFA]