For teenager Kep Rattana*, playing football in the AIA-ISF Youth League was more than a means to escape the hard realities of his everyday life for a few hours a week. But, instead, an opportunity to build a brighter future.

Rattana has had a difficult childhood. His mother passed away when he was just four years old and he was sent to live with neighbours as his father was unable to provide for both him and his older sister. He worked and lived in different homes in exchange for food and a roof over his head. In total, he lived in ten different homes, with families that were not his own. When this became too much to bear, he spent four years in a pagoda (Buddhist temple) until his grandmother took him in. He then worked on the street with his grandmother selling pork and chicken.

In 2009, Rattana joined ISF’s catch-up Education Programme and began his studies at grade 3. He successfully completed the programme and went on to study in state school up until grade 10. Rattana has been balancing his studies with earning a living for his family since he was 14 years old. The pressure to do both however was becoming more and more overwhelming and affecting his mental health, so recently, at the age of 17, Rattana decided to leave school and focus on football as a means to earn a living full-time.

Rattana first started playing football at the same time he joined ISF and quickly became involved in ISF’s Football Programme. He plays in goal for his team and says playing football has brought him a lot happiness. Not only does he enjoy practicing skills such as jumping, blocking shots and improving his fitness but he loves the social element where he is able develop friendships with his teammates. The AIA-ISF Youth League brings together players from other local NGOs, organisations and schools and this has been a welcome opportunity for Rattana to make new friends. In addition to improved relationships with others, Rattana says he has noticed significant improvements in his mental and physical health and he is committed to staying healthy.

Competing in the league has also taught him that with hard work, determination and teamwork, winning is possible. “As long as everyone has played fairly, it’s okay to feel down when we lose a match – losing makes us determined to win next time and to always try our best” he explains. This resilience and determination to succeed has been carried over to other aspects of his life, especially in relation to his career.

While ISF encourages and supports students to finish school, sometimes due to a student’s circumstances, such as Rattana’s, this isn’t possible. In the case where a student must work, ISF will strive to assist them in finding gainful employment and opportunities for further development. Partnering with AIA has resulted in increased opportunities for ISF’s students and their families as the league provides local employment opportunities such as referee, coach, driver and child-minding positions.

Rattana is already seizing such opportunities and has trained with ISF as a referee and is now working part-time at the ISF Sports Ground refereeing league matches and tournaments. His next ambition is to train and qualify as a coach and he is currently participating in coach training with ISF. For Rattana, football has given him the chance to change his own situation as well as to help others: “I want an opportunity to use my knowledge and skills to train more young players – I see my future in football”.

* Names of those under 18 have been changed.