Fundlife International was launched in the wake of disastrous Typhoon Haiyan
Organisation aimed at helping children in Tacloban realise their potential through football
Football For Life Academy project utilises FIFA Foundation funding
Reuben Ranille is a coach at the Football For Life Academy (FFLA) in Tacloban City, Philippines, a flagship project of Fundlife International. For the youngster, it would have been an entirely different life had it not been for the NGO which is aimed at helping children achieve their dreams through football.
One of eleven siblings from a local family, Ranille was the first among his brothers and sisters to complete school and university education, courtesy of the help of the FFLA. He joined the coaching staff at FFLA in 2016 with the job providing not only the opportunity to enhance his football know-how but also the financial support to finish his college studies.
In 2017, he left for the USA where he became the Philippines’ scholar on the ‘Michael Johnson Young Leaders Programme’. Today, he is a FFLA senior coach, managing a girls’ team in Cebu City who have emerged as major contenders in the local Girls Community League.
Reaching out to children
Fundlife was founded by Marko Kasik in 2014. Having witnessed how Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in 2013, he decided to launch the NGO to help local children using the restorative and collaborative nature of the beautiful game.
Since then, the organisation has reached over 20,000 children across the Leyte region and has delivered over 30,000 hours of sport coaching and education. It has provided youth from Tacloban with overseas trips and sessions. Most notably, eight youngsters headed out to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ and played football in Moscow’s Red Square.
By the end of 2018, a total of 4,546 children aged 7-19 were engaged in FFLA Programs. Among them, 3,238 were male and 1,308 were female. They participated in after-school football sessions and classroom sessions.
“We want to use football as a pathway for children to reach their full potential in education and in life,” Kasik told FIFA.com. “Part of this includes the launch the Girls Community league to help girls and work alongside the UN agencies to deliver the UN Global Goals, and help all girls reach their full potential.”
Fundlife is one of a number of organisations supported by the FIFA Foundation's Community Programme.