In a significant expansion of its humanitarian efforts, the Goa-based Karuna Football Foundation has concluded a pivotal five-day exploratory visit to Manila, Philippines. This mission marks a strategic step in the foundation's Afro Asia Compassion Sports initiative, following earlier work in African nations like Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The core objective remains to leverage the power of sport to uplift vulnerable and marginalised communities across two continents.
Confronting Harsh Realities in Manila's Slums
The delegation, led by director Kennedy D'Silva, chose to engage directly with one of the capital's most challenging environments. The team interacted with communities in Happyland, Tondo, an area notorious as Manila's poorest slum. Manila itself holds the distressing record for the world's highest homeless population, with approximately 35% of its residents living in slum conditions. Happyland is situated on a dumpsite, where families survive amidst towering piles of garbage.
Kennedy D'Silva highlighted the grim reality witnessed by the team, where thousands rely on 'pagpag'—a practice of retrieving and cleaning discarded food. "Various humanitarian organisations estimate that tens of thousands of people in Manila's poorest districts depend on pagpag in some form," he stated, underscoring the extreme socio-economic vulnerability. It is within this context of profound need that the foundation seeks to implant a message of hope.
Blueprint for Change: The Compassion Football Model
The visit was not merely observational but aimed at laying the groundwork for sustainable intervention. The delegation, which also included former Goa University sports director Milton Fernandes and Ishan Gaikwad, met with local NGOs and grassroots organisations. Discussions focused on how structured football and sports-based life-skills programmes could instil dignity and drive long-term development for the youth.
Milton Fernandes presented the foundation's proven Compassion Football initiative model. This integrated approach combines football training, coach development, and life-skills education. Its effectiveness was previously demonstrated at the Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda, the world's second-largest refugee camp, where the foundation trained local coaches to sustain programming independently.
"In Manila, the team explored similar possibilities, especially in training local coaches and players, delivering life-skills workshops, and creating pathways for ongoing support and resources," explained Kennedy.
Building Bridges: Proposed India-Philippines Sports Exchange
Looking beyond immediate community work, the mission also sowed seeds for international collaboration. The foundation held promising talks with Philippine sports leaders to facilitate a reciprocal exchange. The proposed plan involves bringing professional and national basketball coaches and players from the Philippines to Goa and other Indian regions.
These visits would encompass coaching clinics, leadership sessions, and exhibition matches designed to inspire young athletes in India. This cross-cultural sports diplomacy initiative aims to strengthen ties and share expertise between the two nations, furthering the foundation's vision of compassion through sport.
This Manila expedition represents the foundation's second major international foray after its 2023 African outreach, solidifying its commitment to creating global impact through the universal language of sport.
