ISF Cambodia’s Football for Change Outreach Project Wins the Peace and Sport Award “Sport for Development and Peace Program of the Year”!

Over the last 13 years, the NGO Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF) Cambodia has been providing education to children living in conditions of extreme poverty, combining sport, health care, education, community awareness, and the development of employability skills.

As part of its “Football for Change” outreach project, ISF Cambodia has trained 200 future coaches in its social impact program over the past year. This program uses football-based activities to raise awareness about specific social issues as well as minority rights while teaching essential life skills such as leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution. After the training, 20 coaches, including 5 women, were selected to offer weekly “football-for-social-impact” coaching sessions to 500 children (40% of girls) from disadvantaged rural areas of Cambodia.

Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, mentioned :

“I warmly congratulate the NGO ISF Cambodia for its victory in the “Sport for Development and Peace Program of the Year” category. Their « Football for Change » outreach project, through the training of coaches in rural areas, transmitted key life skills to disadvantaged young people so that they can build a better future for themselves and their communities. I  do believe that this  Award will contribute to increasing international recognition towards ISF Cambodia’s meaningful work”.

Vicheka Chourp, ISF’s Country Manager, declared :

“It is with great honor that we accept the Peace and Sport Award for our Football for Change outreach project sponsored by UEFA Foundation for Children. ISF believes in the power of sports to inform and enrich the lives of underprivileged youth, especially now as they may be feeling more marginalized and isolated during the pandemic. This award is a humbling recognition of the hard work and dedication of ISF’s passionate coaches who spread sport-for-good training to 200 rural coaches across Cambodia every year. I wish to thank the jury for awarding our project. It’s an honour to be recognized for our efforts to reach children across Cambodia with sport-for-good lessons taught by local mentors. We’re incredibly grateful.”

The “SPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR” category rewards a sport for development and peace program that has a positive impact for communities, teaching values through sport exercises and using equipment adjusted to the local environment. The three nominees in this category were ISF Cambodia, America SCORES, and the Dutch Volleyball Federation-Nevobo.

The category was sponsored by Brooks Brothers, Monaco Rib Boats and Yellow Korner.