The Happy School director Phalla Chi gives an insight to how that relationship started and how Happy School students have benefited from this partnership.
The Happy School (AKA Children for Better Future) is implementing the Happy School project, funded by Australian for Cambodian Education (ACE) (www.acecambodia.org.au) and World Education Australia (WEAL), which is aimed at supporting and providing free educational access to 100 poorest children living around Phsar Doeum Thkov district by 2010. To achieve this goal, the Happy School provides them non-formal education program from grade 1 to 6, and also includes extra curricular such as: English Language, art, drawing, sport, vocational training and integrate them to State school.
In 2008, The Happy School had an opportunity to cooperate with HFCA. At that time, 10 kids of age between 12 to 16 years have been selected to attend the football program under the Inter Milan Clinic in Phnom Penh. Those kids have been trained with very experienced local football trainer and international coach from Inter Milan. Later on, in the following years, the happy school keep sending more kids to attend the HFCA football league at every weekend conducted and coached by HFCA trainers at Beong Trabek pitch, where 8 to 10 kids from the happy school have been attending.
From such experiences, the happy school kids have built up a strong team spirit with other kids from other local NGO partners, which is a new phenomenon to bridge these kids to be more socialized with each others, more self-confident and self-competence in everyday life. This spirit will bring mutual understanding on life that nurtures them to be healthy, strongly, lively, dynamically and swiftly. Moreover, the football training help protect the kids from being exploited, abused, and away from drug and other bad social behavior or being far from committing juvenile delinquency.
In the last semester of 2009, there are 3 kids, Vann Sara, Chang Ngi and Kong Sophanith, aged 14, have been selected from the Happy School to join U14 league which was run by the Football Federation Cambodia. The kids are happy to join this league competition, and they are really proud that they have opportunity to show up their talent and competence in the team, and they are also enthusiastic to compete and challenge with other players from other local NGOs teams.
Meet the Players
My name’s Van Sara, I am 14 years old. I am one of the 3 players from Happy School joined the U14 league.
I am very happy to play with other players, and I like playing football, because it makes me happy and get familiar with other friends. I know some friends while playing football and we play together. “I know one day I kicked the balls two times to hit the goal, said Sara.” I hope I could join the Homeless World Cup team in the future when I get older, and I will try my best to kick the ball to goal and I hope we win the game for HFCA.
