Switzerland: Kubilay Türkyilmaz

 

Former Swiss football star Kubilay Türkyilmaz has been active as a "FIFA for SOS Children's Villages" Ambassador since 2001.

Even before his official naming - during a football tournament between children from the Ticino region of Switzerland and children from SOS Children's Villages in Italy - Türkyilmaz showed himself to be very interested in the work of the children's organisation. Together with his wife and two children, he paid a visit in the year 2000 to SOS Children's Village Morosolo, near to the Swiss border, where he gave top football tips to the 35 children living in the village.

At the same time, ex-professional Tükyilmaz is the "biggest" sponsor with SOS Children's Villages Switzerland: he supports 33 children in SOS Children's Villages Bolluça in Turkey. June 2003 saw the first direct meeting between "Kubi" and his sponsored children. The children observed him coolly to start off with but when he started chatting away in Turkish, the ice was broken and he won over the hearts of the children straight away.

Asked if there were more on the way - his own or SOS Children's Villages children - Kubilay answered with a wink: "you can't plan children", and he is convinced that the family is the most important of all.