Sport to School. Phnom Penh - Cambodia
This project involves the promotion of sport as an alternative to use of drugs and to life on the streets. The promotion of a range sports activities and further development of sporting facilities in a centre with 200 children, has assisted in rescuing children from the street and ensuring their access to education.

 

Sport to School

Capital city: Phnom Penh

Population: 11.4 million (March 1998 National Census)

After decades of war and political instability, Cambodia is enjoying a period of relative stability and is striving to rebuild its infrastructural, social and economic framework.

Cambodia is one of Asia’s poorest countries and about 35 per cent of the population earns less than USD1 per day. Roughly 50 per cent of Cambodian children suffer from malnutrition and one in eight die before reaching the age of five. More than half the population is below 18 years of age. Cambodia has one of the highest rates of AIDS in Asia.

Farming accounts for 36 per cent of the economy, services account for 36 per cent and industry fuels 28 per cent of the economy. About 15 per cent of the population live in urban centers.

The end of more than thirty years of conflicts means that Cambodia has now entered a new phase of peace and stability, enabling its people to normalize their lives. Nevertheless, despite these positive changes, Cambodia is still in the throes of post-war reconstruction, a process that is advancing at a very slow pace due e damages caused by the regional war, the Khmer Rouge regime and the civil war that ended in 1998, the effects of which continue to dog the social, economic, civil and cultural aspects of the country.

In addition, the fast economic growth triggered by Cambodia’s opening to a market economy is generating a profound imbalance, as the gap between rich and poor continues to widen.

The deterioration of social conditions and the level of wellbeing is having a significant impact on broad segments of the population.

The lack of farmland, debt and environmental decline exist alongside a generalized worsening of public services, such as education and healthcare. This situation has given rise to many problems, from which the whole population suffers, but particularly the already underprivileged children and adolescents.

Most of the children in the poorest areas of Phnom Penh are unable to go to state schools and often end up working on the streets, begging or vending. Often these children are forced into crime and recent studies underscore the exponential rise in drug use amongst children and teenagers of all social classes. Up to 1990, Cambodia was the only country in Southeast Asia with no major drug problems. It is a recent phenomenon that has taken hold over the last decade and mainly affects adolescents and youth 16-21.

However, unofficial sources (school heads and staff), indicate that drug use can start as early as 7-9 years of age. Schools are prime targets for the drug pushers, who often push drugs under the guise of vitamin supplements.

WHO WILL BENEFIT

The project will directly benefit 350 boys, who will join school football teams and play in tournaments, and about 3,000 students in the seven targeted schools, who will be able to use the sports facilities and practice sports, with a specific aim to get girls involved).

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Improvement of sports facilities in seven selected schools, through the creation and/or restructuring of volleyball courts and football pitches. The schools will be selected by CIAI from among the partner schools members of the Child Sponsoring programme and the Child Friendly School of Phnom Penh province;

Supply of sports equipment to the seven schools (balls, nets, etc.);

Distribution of sports kits to the school children (uniforms, trainers, football boots, etc.);

Training of the "sports trainers" from the Ministry for Education, Youth and Sport. Training will be given by a professional Cambodian coach;

School Teacher training by qualified sports trainers. Each sports trainer will be allocated two schools and will carry out the programming and implementation of sports activities;

Launch of football and volleyball lessons. CIAI will select the beneficiaries in line with assessment parameters based on the socio-economic conditions of the families and their potential exposure to risk factors;

Organization of annual tournaments between the teams and the schools involved in the project;

Awareness campaign organization to communicate the importance of sports to youth.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION TIMEFRAME

The first phase of the project centers on the selection of the partner schools and the restructuring work on sports infrastructures. The 2007-08 academic year will see the launch of the sports activities and the training modules in the schools, the organization of tournaments and the awareness campaign.

THE GOAL

The project focuses on two primary areas: sport as a way to fight drug use by adolescents and the improvement of the sports programs in primary and secondary state schools.

To date, ports in Cambodian schools during recreation time is a strictly male prerogative. Our project wants to address also this discriminatory aspect of Cambodian culture. There is a great deal of interest by girls in recreation and sport.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE

Enhance the quality of life of Cambodian children and adolescents, both boys and girls, through sports as an alternative to life on the street and drug use.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Strengthen the sports opportunities in schools by introducing new games, such as football for boys and volleyball for the girls.

Launch an information and awareness campaign in the schools, aimed at promoting sport as an alternative to drug use. The aim of the campaign would be to debunk the “false power” assigned to amphetamines and promote the importance of sport in developing physical strength and achieving harmony of mind and body.

BUDGET

The total estimated cost of the project is € 66,132.

This amount will cover:

Local and ex-pat personnel;

equipment;

materials and supplies;

transportation and promotional activities;

structural costs and investments in creating/improving the infrastructures.

CIAI, OUR PARTNER IN CAMBODIA

CIAI is a non-governmental organization (NGO), recognized by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which has been working in Cambodia under authorization of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. CIAI collaborates with the main Cambodian ministries.