Staff Spotlight: Access to education & sport changed Puna’s life
Access to education & sport changed Puna’s life
19-year old Puna grew up in extreme poverty where there was constant livelihood and food insecurity at home which meant that she missed out on an education and a childhood for the first ten years of her life. Today, she has overcome the odds and completed high school, qualified as a football coach and is now attending university.
Growing up, Puna’s family couldn’t afford food to eat so it was necessary for her to go out and work as a child, collecting garbage on a dumpsite in Phnom Penh, that could be sold to a recycling company. Working on a dumpsite which is dangerous work for anyone, let alone a child. Up until the age of ten, when she joined ISF’s Education Programme, Puna had missed out on an education because her family could not afford to send her to school.
ISF’s Catch-up Education Programme gave Puna the chance to go to school and to play football with friends for the first time. When she joined the Football Programme, it was the first time in my her life that she experienced joy and found a passion, as well as goals for the future. Generally, in Cambodian society, women are valued less than men and they are expected to be gentle, reserved and obedient so sport and competitiveness are largely reserved for men only. Girls aren’t typically encouraged to play football, and though they get to play it, their roles don’t seem to be valued by some people” explains Puna. “That’s why I had never thought about becoming a football coach because I was scared of standing in front of people and talking to them but ISF’s Football Programme taught me so much about football, its techniques and it built my confidence allowing me to train and qualify for the position and today I’m proud to be a full-time football coach for ISF”.
Puna has a busy schedule with her full-time job and a place in university studying. But yet, she stills finds time to share her experience with young people in the slum areas where she’s from, explaining how sport has positively affected the way she views myself, her family and her community. She does activities and games from ISF’s social impact curriculum with them to address issues and social problems occurring in their communities, such as illegal drugs, HIV/Aids, alcoholism, gambling, gender inequality, poor waste management and disposal, domestic violence, etc. She also enjoys teaching them technical football skills and techniques, and encourage them to start playing football and seeing sport as a healthier way of life.
Without the encouragement and support she received from ISF to train as a coach, Puna believes that she would not have the same confidence and passion that she has today: “I’m really enthusiastic about the positive changes that football will bring to my life and my future. Spending time with young people and their parents, encouraging them to see sport, specifically football, as the key to the betterment of their community and healthier life choices brings me a lot a joy and fulfillment. I am determined to apply my own experience, knowledge and skills – gained through sport – to make community members aware of issues happening in their homes and their potential negative impacts and start thinking about ways to resolve them.”
