Street Child World Cup: Crystal's story

The most recent video in the 'Today at the Street Child World Cup' series is about Crystal, a girl I've had the pleasure of knowing since the first time I came to the Philippines, back in 2009.

Having volunteered with the Asian Students Christian Foundation (ASCF) for three months, the children there were amazing in what they have gone through and how they have reacted. Many of those stories are difficult to imagine, and if you haven't lived through it, impossible to fully comprehend.



For Crystal, life began in a cemetery. It's an irony that really hits home when you consider the juxtaposition, a cycle of poverty which effectively kills life before it has begun.

While she lived in the cemetery, Crystal was surrounded by kids who sniffed glue, using the short high as an escape to dull hunger pains. Such is the reality for street kids, a lot of whom ended up in the cemetery having ran away from abusive homes. With nowhere else to go, they wound up where there were other people in similar situations, sleeping inside emptied graves.

"They're in heaven now…"

Many of these street children beg on the streets, or scavenge through trash to find things to recycle or sell to junk shops. Some take to gangs as a way to make money. With no education available and of course no professional career options, turning to crime is a rational decision for many in this situation. The consequence of this lifestyle though, is best put by Crystal herself when talking about her old friends from the cemetery: “It’s so sad to say that they’re in heaven now...”

Each person living on the streets is unique and has a different story to tell, but one thing remains the same for them all: society has failed them. In a way Crystal was one of the few lucky ones as she got out. The hesitance in actually calling it ‘lucky’ is due to the fact that she was hit by a firebomb at four years old, while she was sleeping in a grave. However, she was brought into Mango Tree House, the home run by ASCF, and given safety, food, shelter, and an education, basically the rights all children should have.

Crystal is looking towards training as a social worker when she grows up. She wants to go back and help the people who haven't made it out. As she says in the video, “I’m here speaking as a street child, to help them, not only me. I feel that I’m their voice, speaking what they’re feeling because I can feel what they feel.”

All heart and determination

I began coaching Crystal as part of my project, Payatas FC, back in 2011, along with some of the other girls from Mango. They took part in regular training sessions and competitions.

One standout memory of her came when Pinay Futbol organized a tournament last year for eight teams from developing communities. Crystal captained one of the two teams we entered, but she had to leave shortly after the first game began, as she was having menstrual cramps, and hadn’t told us beforehand due to her desire to play.

As the first game began, she went to the side and threw up, so we got her some water and made her rest. But soon afterwards she stood up again, cheered for the team and asked repeatedly to go back on the pitch. We let her play the next game and she captained the side to the Final, scoring the winning goal in the penalty shootout, which led to her being voted tournament MVP.

While Crystal's beginnings are harrowing, in many ways, her story is that far off from many other homeless children. In fact, many of the children trying out for a spot on the Philippine contingent for the 2014 Street Child World Cup have similar stories.

The Street Child World Cup is a tournament, held a few months prior to the FIFA World Cup, with the aim of raising awareness of what exactly street children go through in the course of their "normal" daily lives. Crystal is one of those aspiring to get a spot on the team, with the hope of representing the country on and off the pitch, as the football activities will be supplemented by youth conferences, art workshops and declarations of the rights of children across the world.
 
While she's not the most technically gifted player, Crystal is giving all she's got. Looking at where she came from and what she's achieved, Crystal clearly embodies the spirit of the Street Child World Cup and its motto, "I am Somebody." - AMD, GMA News



Roy Moore is the Executive Director of the Fairplay for All Foundation and Coach for Team Philippines in the Street Child World Cup. For more information or to ask about the corporate sponsorship packages email the charity at ffafoundation@gmail.com