WE PLAY FOR PEACE – CHRIS THOMAS OF FFH RALLY THE MEN OF THE CIVIL MILITARY OPERATIONS REGIMENT WITH THE SYMBOLIC UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS SOCCER BALL.
SAN LAZARO LEISURE PARK, CARMONA, CAVITE— It was a sunny morning with a hint of rain when children of the Dar Amanah Children’s Village Foundation boarded two Civil Military Operations Regiment Army trucks that would take them to a new football location, their first for the summer of 2019.
“Football really gives them joy, and gives them precious joyful memories,” said Fe Companero, teacher and psychosocial coordinator of the Dar Amanah school, and staunch advocate of football activities for the children. “These children need these experiences to erase the deep scars of their difficult past, where most of them suffered in the face of armed conflict, violence, and extreme poverty.”
IT’S RAINING ONE WORLD PLAY BALLS! THANK YOU FOOTBALL FOR HUMANITY.
Fortunately this year, Brazilian company Stefanini Philippines Inc, an IT solutions outsourcing multinational company headquartered in Roxas Blvd, and its football club Stefanini FC, managed by Ana Mae Codizal, Marketing Associate, and Stefanini Cares, the company CSR arm, was looking for a significant yet fun initiative for its football-loving employees. “It’s a match made in football heaven. Stefanini loves football, loves to share and care for underprivileged children,” said Mae Codizal.
COACH MEA BERNAL TEACHES THE GIRLS HOW TO DO A GOOD QUAD STRETCH.
And so on the first Saturday of May, Stefanini FC, powered by football partner Football for Humanity Foundation and supported by their partners Football Manila and Outkast FC, treated the Dar Amanah children to a morning of fun football sessions led by Asseu Asaiah Patrick, Stefanini FC’s Ivorian Helpdesk Technician and in-house coach with over 20 employee-volunteers. Coach Patrick said, “We are using the FUNiño method, which is foundational and really designed for children, combining the sport with fun and creativity.”
The children revelled in the innovative sessions formulated by Coach Patrick, assisted by the coaches of Football Manila, led by Lee Suleiman, and Outkast FC, led by female national team player Mea Bernal. Towards the end of the session, further adding to the children’s delight, FFH founder Chris Thomas distributed 60 unpoppable soccer balls – one ball per child – which were part of an 10,920 donation by One World Play, a US-based charity. Stefanini also donated a hundred storybooks to enhance the children’s reading activities during the summer break.
VISITING FOOTBALL FANATIC MICHAEL THOMAS SIGNS HIS NAME ON THE NEWLY DISTRIBUTED ONE WORLD PLAY BALLS FOR THE DAR AMANAH BOYS.
“We are very motivated with the very successful start of the partnerships. Stefanini hopes to help, not just in football, but with the other needs of the children as well, where we have other capabilities to be of assistance, such as internships for their college-level students, etc. But we really hope to play again, as we can see how football creates positive change in the children,” added Rosanna Candido, Stefanini Facility Supervisor and team coordinator for Stefanini Cares.
COACH PATRICK OF STEFANINI PHILIPPINES AUTOGRAPHS ONE WORLD PLAY BALLS AFTER A FUN FOOTBALL SESSION WITH THE BOYS.
Thomas recaps the day in a final appraisal, “Today, we brought nations together, on the San Lazaro pitch. We had Asian, African, and European nationalities working together. We had adults and children fulfilling each other’s dreams. All of our initiatives are likewise implemented in fulfilment of our Play for Goals program, whose objectives mirror the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We make sure that with every opportunity, we honor humanity. We raise humanity higher, one football, one child, one caring grown-up at a time. We are more than football.
