Football brings hope to Cambodia

During the civil war more than ten million mines were laid in Cambodia, filling the population with fear. Even today they present a very real danger to the inhabitants of the south-east Asian country. Yet in the face of such perils, new hope is taking root among the 14-million populace. Football is one of the reasons why.
 
The Spirit of Soccer movement organises football courses and makes the most of the opportunity to explain the dangers of landmines and unexploded devices to children and adolescents. The project started several years ago in the northern province of Battambang, a region with one of the densest concentrations of landmines in the world.
 
Having been active in Bosnia-Herzegovina almost a decade ago, Spirit of Soccer is now concentrating its efforts on Cambodia. The initiative is turning the world’s most popular game into a method of transforming mine fields into football fields.

Spirit of Soccer is one of the 27 projects that are supported as part of FIFA’s Football for Hope commitment to social responsibility. FIFA TV and FIFA.com introduce the organisation in this video.