Everton players Asmir Begovic and Kenza Dali discussed how they have been shaped by their life experiences and faith at an event to highlight how the club and its official charity is supporting refugees and asylum seekers through its All Together Now campaign. Last week’s ‘Everton Welcomes’ event spotlighted programmes and services available through Everton in the Community and other organisations in Merseyside to those who have been displaced or forced to leave their country due to war, persecution, or disaster.
As part of the All Together Now campaign, the event also marked the end of Ramadan and guest speakers Begovic and Dali explained to those in attendance what the month means to them and outlined some of the challenges of fasting as professional footballers. Guests included representatives from Everton, Everton in the Community and Everton Free School, the Everton Fans’ Forum and Evertonians Against Hate group, Liverpool City Council’s refugee and asylum seeker resettlement programme ‘Our Liverpool’, and local refugees.
Begovic’s family fled the Bosnian War when he was four years old, eventually settling in Germany and later Canada. Now 34, the goalkeeper is an ambassador of the UN Refugee Agency and keen to raise awareness of the plight of displaced people around the world.
