Footballs for Peace aims to bridge the gap between Philippine marines and the local community.(Photo: Aya Lowe)
MANILA: Before he learnt how to play football, 12-year-old Chris Bernard saw very little hope for a better future.
He had just moved from the Malaysian state of Sabah to Tawi Tawi Island, a poverty-ridden area in southern Philippines. His father was out of a job after a work-related accident, and he had very few friends.
But the programme Footballs for Peace has helped lift his spirits. “I practise every day, it really helps me focus," he said. "Eventually, I want to help my family with the help of football."
Soldiers wanted to find a way to reach out to the local community. (Photo: Aya Lowe)
Footballs for Peace was started by marines stationed in the south of the Philippines, an area fraught with violence.
The soldiers wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between themselves and the local community.
“It's a way to pull civilians and military together; our way of getting their trust," said Corporal Almuni Alih, a coach for the Footballs for Peace programme. "Because before, they knew us as bad soldiers. We organised Footballs for Peace for them to know what we're doing is good."
PEACE A GREATER GOAL
Many children in the southern islands of Mindanao grow up in areas where violence is a daily part of life. They are often exposed to clan wars and clashes between the military and extremist groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf.
"When you visit Sulu and Basilan, you can see that the culture of violence is high. Most of the households there have their guns and every day kids are seeing these guns," said Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Cabanlet, founder of Footballs for Peace.
"They are seeing soldiers passing through the roads and they are seeing the violence of clan wars or army offensives. Because of this, they can become easy targets when Abu Sayyaf look to recruit soldiers," he added.
"If they are offered guns, they would be likely to say ‘okay’. That’s why the purpose of the programme is to change their lives from a culture of violence to one of peace."
Footballs for Peace is now in its fifth year. (Photo: Aya Lowe)
The marines see football as a chance for the children to enjoy their youth despite their circumstances. They said that they have seen children put aside their clan divisions to play football together. It has even brought parents from different clans together to watch their children play.
Footballs for Peace is now in its fifth year. What began with one ball kicked between a group of marines as a way to pass time has inspired a movement to give children a chance to play across the islands of Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu and Tawi Tawi - all areas in southern Philippines marred by clashes and violence.
A ball may seem like a small offering of peace, but Cabanlet sees it as much more. As he watches the children play and train, he sees them as future messengers of peace who could take the camaraderie displayed on the football pitch and use it in daily life.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/a-leg-up-through-football-in-strife-torn-mindanao/3312346.html
But the programme Footballs for Peace has helped lift his spirits. “I practise every day, it really helps me focus," he said. "Eventually, I want to help my family with the help of football."
Soldiers wanted to find a way to reach out to the local community. (Photo: Aya Lowe)
Footballs for Peace was started by marines stationed in the south of the Philippines, an area fraught with violence.
The soldiers wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between themselves and the local community.
“It's a way to pull civilians and military together; our way of getting their trust," said Corporal Almuni Alih, a coach for the Footballs for Peace programme. "Because before, they knew us as bad soldiers. We organised Footballs for Peace for them to know what we're doing is good."
PEACE A GREATER GOAL
Many children in the southern islands of Mindanao grow up in areas where violence is a daily part of life. They are often exposed to clan wars and clashes between the military and extremist groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf.
"When you visit Sulu and Basilan, you can see that the culture of violence is high. Most of the households there have their guns and every day kids are seeing these guns," said Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Cabanlet, founder of Footballs for Peace.
"They are seeing soldiers passing through the roads and they are seeing the violence of clan wars or army offensives. Because of this, they can become easy targets when Abu Sayyaf look to recruit soldiers," he added.
"If they are offered guns, they would be likely to say ‘okay’. That’s why the purpose of the programme is to change their lives from a culture of violence to one of peace."
Footballs for Peace is now in its fifth year. (Photo: Aya Lowe)
The marines see football as a chance for the children to enjoy their youth despite their circumstances. They said that they have seen children put aside their clan divisions to play football together. It has even brought parents from different clans together to watch their children play.
Footballs for Peace is now in its fifth year. What began with one ball kicked between a group of marines as a way to pass time has inspired a movement to give children a chance to play across the islands of Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu and Tawi Tawi - all areas in southern Philippines marred by clashes and violence.
A ball may seem like a small offering of peace, but Cabanlet sees it as much more. As he watches the children play and train, he sees them as future messengers of peace who could take the camaraderie displayed on the football pitch and use it in daily life.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/a-leg-up-through-football-in-strife-torn-mindanao/3312346.html
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