October 29, 2024 | 10:00am
MANILA, Philippines — British philanthropist Marko Kasic, founder of FundLife, often finds himself faced with great devastation brought about by destructive typhoons that leave thousands of people homeless and hungry.
After all, FundLife is a leading non-governmental organization (NGO) established to rebuild communities devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City.
Recently, though, he found himself faced with a different kind of challenge. The challenge to complete a 600-kilometer run across Luzon to urge greater investment in grassroots sports for children in the Philippines. Following the recent success of Filipino athletes, including gymnast Carlos Yulo and the two gold medals he earned at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kasic emphasizes the need for substantial support to help young Filipinos reach their full potential.
The project, Move Luzon ‘Run with Purpose,’ forms part of the NGO’s ‘Play Equity’ Pledge to campaign for the freedom all children should have to play and learn safely. Specifically, the effort aims to provide 5,000 underserved children access to running clinics and equip a hundred DepEd teachers with the basics to teach running classes.
The NGO uses sports to protect, educate, and empower vulnerable children to work hard for a better life. Hence, the project was conceived to encourage Filipino children to start running, which can lead to not just more but better educational opportunities.
“If they excel at running or any sport, it could provide them with an athletic scholarship to finish high school and enter college. Running can be an attainable pathway from poverty to educational and economic prosperity,” Kasic emphasized.
His two-week run began at Patapat Viaduct, Pagudpud, on July 8 and ended in Metro Manila on July 21, 2024. For his 14-day journey, Kasic covered the equivalent of 14 marathons while engaging with both running and non-running communities. He ran solo for most of his trip but was joined by over 300 members of the Rockwell Run Club on the last 21-km and 10-km stretch.
“Move Luzon is my way of transforming FundLife’s vision into actionable commitment steps. Just like our work, it’s about giving to make a tangible impact on the lives of all children. We hope that by showcasing our passion for education and sports, we might inspire others in power to move with us,” he added.
For Kasic, this run was also a campaign to influence decision-makers in the business world to approach charity projects with a sustainable mindset, ensuring lasting social impact.
“These kids need significant support because reaching the pinnacle of their sport requires years of dedication and sacrifice. Following Carlos Yulo’s double gold victory in the Paris Olympics, now is the time to turn words into action. Support these young Filipinos from the start, as lip service alone is not enough,” he said.
The Move Luzon initiative also showcased the beauty and potential of Luzon’s communities. It was a partnership between FundLife, and the Bike Scouts project, a social platform aimed at helping people and bicycles become movers of true community-based resilience.
Since 2014, the NGO has been dedicated to promoting purposeful play and equitable education for marginalized and vulnerable children. Their flagship project, Football for Life Academy (FFLA), aimed to help Filipino children achieve their dreams through football. It had 4,546 children participating in after-school football sessions and classroom sessions by the end of 2018.
In the classroom sessions, FFLA coaches used stories of football champions to inspire players and help them develop soft skills and critical thinking, as well as essential football skills like dribbling, passing, and ball control.
To encourage more girls to take up sports, FundLife launched the Girls Community League (GCL), a futsal league for adolescent girls in Cebu. This project won global acclaim at the Paris Sports Week for its innovative approach to keeping girls in education and gaining the support of the public.
The NGO is also actively involved in providing safe spaces for children. In Tacloban, the Generation Amazing Community Center (GACC), an integrated community and learning center for children, will open in October 2024. The 1,200 square-meter community-owned space, worth about P25 Million, will contain a multi-purpose sports hall, integrated learning and employment training room, community canteen, and a community co-study and co-working space.
Furthermore, in 2021, the NGO, in collaboration with the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, provided hundreds of Samal-Bajau children with safe space for recreational and educational play during the COVID-19 pandemic by building the first-ever floating football pitch in the country located in Maluso, Basilan, Mindanao.
Over the years, the NGO has directly impacted 86,000 children and young people through its programs. Fourteen schools have adopted the FundLife curriculum, 780 teachers and youth leaders have been upskilled, and seven safe spaces have been reclaimed for the youth and women.
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