By Amy Zhaung, Project Officer CUFA
Opening February 2015!
Let us football fans take a moment to revisit our Socceroos’ recent success in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Australia were drawn in Group B alongside reigning Cup holder Spain, 2010 runners-up Netherlands and Chile. Despite the fact that the Socceroos exited the competition early, Australians welcomed home our players with pride at the Socceroos’ great achievements in such a globally united event.
Football is universal, the joy and pride it extorts is worldwide. While you are cheering for the Socceroos in the pub at 8 o’clock in the morning, there are children playing their hearts out before school starts in rural Timor Leste. Like many developing countries, football is vastly popular and often their only form of sport and entertainment.
Timor-Leste is a beautiful tropical country and an emerging tourist destination for the intrepid traveller. It has a rich cultural heritage and is one of Australia’s closest neighbouring countries. Timor faces many challenges including widespread poverty and underdevelopment as communities struggle to rebuild after decades of economic and political turmoil. Timor Leste continues to be one of the world’s poorest countries, with 49.9% of the population living under the national poverty line (US$0.55)[1]. This has left schools often under-resourced and unable to provide important life skills such as financial literacy – a key to building a strong village economy.
Join us in our second year of the Banking on Football program to help provide a brighter future through strengthening the financial skills of youth today. Banking on Football program is a unique overseas volunteer program combining volunteers love for football and passion for alleviating poverty in some of the world’s poorest communities.
Here are some highlights of the trip:
- Discovering beautiful Timor-Leste, led by Timorese locals and CUFA project officers
- Visiting forgotten tropical islands, the world’s second largest concrete Christ and sampling local Timorese culinary delights
- Meeting with CUFA’s local staff in Timor-Leste and learning how CUFA is teaching local children about financial literacy
- Helping Timorese children learn through play, by sharing your passion of football and
THE FACTS
- Dates: 4-15 February, 2015
- Registration fee*: $1,800
- What does this include: Return flights, accommodation, all meals, visas, English speaking local host and all on-ground transport
- Fundraising target: $3,300
- Engagement: Finding 3 community investors to support 3 village entrepreneurs
- Total trip duration (including travel): 10 days (includes children’s financial literacy classes and participation in the children’s football program)
- Accommodation: Local style twin-share accommodation
- Minimum age: 18
[1]http://www.tl.undp.org/content/dam/timorleste/docs/library/MDGReport2009Englishv.1.pdf
