Lionel Messi Visits the Earthquake-Ravaged Haiti

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Patrick Flynn: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lionel Messi makes his first
official visit to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Lionel Messi: The truth is that I didn’t expect it to be this way. It surprised me
that people treat me in this manner and that I could get a smile out
of people who have gone through such difficult times.

Patrick Flynn: At the UNICEF Haiti Headquarters, Mr. Messi had a chance to
meet with the group of Haitian children who live at the camp and
participate in a sport for development program. These children and
many others are participants in a psycho-social rehabilitation
program, implemented by UNICEF and its partner, the Haitian
Olympic Committee. Recreation and play are vital to the
happiness, health and well-being of all children particularly those
who are living through a crisis situation.

Lionel Messi: Sports help me a lot. I think there are many things that one doesn’t
saw the football field that helps one later in life.

Patrick Flynn: Life inside the camp is desperate for everyone and particularly for
children. But with the help of programs like sports for
development, children find a safe place where they can be cared
for, deal with the traumas of the past and learn valuable lessons for
the future.

Lionel Messi: We have to work a lot and value Haiti and help in everything that
is happening because we need a lot of work to change all that I
saw. Haiti has practically nothing and it will take a lot for Haiti to
rise again.

Patrick Flynn: In Port-au-Prince, Haiti this is Patrick Flynn reporting for UNICEF
Television, unite for children.