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Filipino kids dream of Rio and the Street Child World Cup

“Football is a way of getting street children to leave the street behind” says Karin Joseph, the Teams Coordinator of the Street Child World Cup. “To experience childhood and just play games.”

For Joseph, the 2nd Street Child World Cup, set for Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from March to April next year, offers hope for at-risk homeless kids to have a better life through the Beautiful Game. The SCWC will take place in the same country as the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in July of that year.

One such kid who has crossed over is Roberto Olandes. A goalkeeper in the 2010 Philippine SCWC team, the Tondo native is now playing for St. Benilde as a striker in the NCAA while taking a course in Human Resources on scholarship.

“We asked him what Football means to him and he said 'it's everything'” said Joseph. “It has changed his life.”

Olandes was trained by Peter Amores of the Futkaleros team, and that is how he made it to the Philippine team in the first SCWC, which, like the 2010 FIFA World Cup, was held in South Africa.

ALSO READ: FIBA Asia schedule released.

The Philippines dropped its first two matches to the UK and Tanzania, then stunned the world by beating Brazil 6-2.

In the final of the consolation Shield competition (India won the Cup), the Philippines, coached by Jess Landagan, himself a former street child, outgunned hosts South Africa 2-1 to take the silverware.

“The first SCWC was intended to raise awareness of the problem of street children and create a positive campaign around street children and including them in the whole festival of Football” explains Joseph.

A charity called Umthombo Street Children based in Durban, along with supporters in the UK, started the event as a reaction to the rounding up of street kids in South Africa, which would get worse before the World Cup, since the government wanted to show its best foot forward for the visiting fans from around the world.

In 2010 there were only eight mixed-gender teams. In 2014 there will be sixteen boys teams, including the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Mauritius, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, United Kingdom, Sierra Leone, the United States of America, Nicaragua, and Brazil.

ALSO READ: Jarencio hopes to lead UST back to the finals.

There will also be nine girls teams, the Philippines, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, United Kingdom, the United States, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Brazil.

I tell Karin that I'm surprised to see the USA, one of the richest countries in the world, fielding teams in both boys and girls competitions.

“The problem of homeless children is a global issue” says Joseph, who was just in the country to check in on the preparations of the Philippine team. “The richest countries are not exempt.”

Joseph says that the SCWC partner in the USA is active in twenty cities, and that in New York City alone there are 10,000 homeless children.

Joseph says that SCWC is different from the Homeless World Cup, which the Philippines has also entered. HWC is held every year, unlike the Street Child competition, which runs every four years. HWC is also for adults, while SCWC has kids aged fourteen to sixteen for the boys event, and fourteen to seventeen for the girls. The tournament will be a seven-a-side competition.

Last Sunday a scouting tournament was held in European International School in Better Living, Bicutan, involving teams from Fairplay for All Foundation in Payatas, Craig Burrows' Mango School, a team called Haven, Gawad Kalinga, Miguel Bermundo's Dream Big Pilipinas, Nayon ng Kabataan, and a girl's team called Josie's Angels. Some kids impressed the selectors and could make the team for Rio.

Roy Moore, who runs Fairplay For All Foundation along with two other Brits, Naomi Tomlinson and Craig Burrows, says provincial trials will also be held in Davao and other provincial centers, so that the teams are truly representative of street kids from all over the nation.

Fairplay For All Foundation has been featured in The Passionate Fan twice already, here and here.

The girls team is lucky that they already have a sponsor; Martien Witsenberg. The Dutch businessman, who exports Coconut products from the Philippines to Europe, is footing the bill for the girls. He was at the scouting tournament with another Dutchman who is helping out, Conrad Alleblas, the head of Dutch sporting non-profit organization VSU/ONMN.

ALSO READ: This is the year we can win it – NU coach Altamirano.

“Some of these girls are really fanatical” said Witsenburg as he saw the young ladies battle it out on the EIS field. “Sometimes they get badly hurt, but they go ahead.”

“Im really proud of doing this for the Philippines” he adds.

At the end of the tournament the kids gather for a picture, and as Joseph and her video coordinater, Jo Clark, roll their cameras, Burrows leads the children in a modified version of Jesse Jackson's “I Am Somebody,” a call-and-response poem.

“I AM...” shouts Burrows, his voice growing hoarse.

“SOMEBODY!” bellow the children in reply.

Next year in Brazil some of those kids could be shouting those same words on a podium, with a shiny trophy in hand.

The Philippine Boys team for the 2014 Street Child World Cup is still in need of funding. If you would like to help, contact Roy Moore of the Fairplay for All Foundation. You may email him at ffafoundation@gmail.com or tweet him @FairPlayForAll. For more information visit the tournament's official website, www.streetchildworldcup.org.

Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.