Mindanaotoday.com | US based charity FFF helps Lumbia FC girls
By: Jack Biantan
US based football charity, Friends of Female Footballer (FFF), has found a bunch of girls here in Cagayan de Oro City to share their passion of helping the young footballers.
Based in New Jersey USA, FFF has spread its charitable wings here in the ‘Land of Friendship’ by sending a ‘balikbayan’ box full of football shoes, futsal shoes, jerseys, shin guards, pants, footballs and socks to the girls of Lumbia Raptors FC.
The donation was made possible through the efforts of Philippine national girls U19 player Julia Benitez and her father Eric.
The donation made the 12 young and talented Lumbia Raptors FC girls extremely happy specially 14-year-old all around player Aquiline Navarro Esteban.
EQUIPTMENT
The equipment were just in time, they arrived a week before the Department of Education (DepEd) Cagayan de Oro Division meet Futsal tournament set last March 25 at the Bulua National High School gym.
Fourteen-year-old Jaquiline Navarro Esteban has to walk more than 6 kms. from their house in mountains of Sitio Impaumbo to barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro proper to go to school.
The road to the mountain barangay is rough so very few motorcycles and no jeepneys would go up to the sitio to serve the few residences.
Every school days in the morning, Jamz, as his friends and teammates call her, would go to school walking or jogging. In the afternoon, she would go back home going the same route.
She has been doing that since 1st Grade. Now at 14-years-old, and going 8th Grade next school year, the bubbly and smiling teener has developed strong leg muscles.
LUMBIA RAPTORS FC
She has joined the Lumbia Raptors girls football team since last year. Although she started late at 13-years-old, she has become a starter in the line-up and was one of the key players of the Lumbia National High School Futsal team during the Cagayan de Oro City Division meet last month.
Jamz started playing football and futsal, wearing rubber shoes. She never complained until her rubber shoes gave up. She asked her coaches and trainers, for a new pair of futsal shoes. They obliged.
During the new year, Jamz orange futsal shoes has started to worn out and she became worried. The coaches were also worried. If they give her another pair, her teammates would get jealous and they might be forced to buy the whole team shoes which they could not afford. The CdO Division meet was approaching.
They then started looking for sponsors and posted the team photos of the Raptors at Abante Filipinas, a page for Philippine Women’s football team supporters. Their plea were picked up by US based Filipino Eric Benitez whose daughter Julia plays for the Philippine girls U19 team.
Eric Benitez
, who resides in New Jersey, then told them to open the Friends of Female Footballers website and let the players apply so that they could get free shoes and other soccer equipment.
ERIC AND JULIA
Eric and Julia then arranged for the delivery of the goods. After few weeks, one balikbayan box filled with futsal shoes, socks, jerseys, shin guards and even old clothes arrived on the doorstep of one of the coaches.
The next day like Sta. Claus they gave out the items to the the kids. Their smiles were as wide as a football and their faces were as beautiful as Cinderella.
Jams was teary eyed when she received her futsal shoes. “I thought I would have no shoes for the Division meet. Thanks Friend of Female Footballers (FFF) for giving us these shoes,” she said.
They all then showed their gratitude by singing in front of a video camera which was sent to the instagram account of the FFF.
Friends of Female Footballers (FFF) is a non-profit organization based in New Jersey USA. It helps poor female footballers who have limited or no means to play football by providing them with uniforms, equipment and financial assistance.
The charity raise funds and collect new and old sports equipment and donate them to eligible girls around the world through schools and other organizations.
The FFF also promotes awareness of football as a platform to effect positive change in young female athlete’s lives. “With the growth in women’s football interest internationally, more and more females are starting to get interested in this beautiful game,’’ said the FFF website.
WEBSITE
The website added that many girls in developing countries, live in poverty and don’t have the resources to play sports because they are forced to work and help get food on the table. “FFF’s goal is to provide resources not only to support these girls sports development but also to provide means for their education.”
The FFF help to the girls of the Lumbia Raptors are truly heaven sent and the girls deserve it. Most of the girls come from the poverty stricken part of barangay Lumbia Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.
Some members of the Lumbia Raptors are children of the survivors of typhoon Sendong which killed thousands in Cagayan de Oro City in 2011.
Most of them are also children of drivers, carpenters, vendors living near the ‘Raptors Hangar’ (football pitch) in sitio Red Island. All the children study at the Lumbia National High School and Lumbia Elementary School.
The donation, specially the futsal shoes, socks, nd shin guards were of great help in the girls campaign in the CdO Division meet. Lumbia finished runner-up behind the veteran laden Bulua National High School. It was the best finish the school had ever have since time in memorial in the CdO Division meet competition.
The most important result was their 4-3 win over many time champion Xavier University. The help from FFF indeed boosted the Lumbia girls morale.
WIN STREAK
A week after, in April 1, 2023, their winning streak continued as the Lumbia girls finished first in the Xavier University High School mini tournament at the UXHS gym beating Xavier University 6-4 and dumping Ginggoog City selection team 6-0.
Other Lumbia Raptors FC girls who got donated shoes and other football equipment include Rose Mary Pagalan, Precious Exequil, Alessandra Lizardo, Kate Albarico, Mary Love Lacar, Devany Sarucam, Althea Palma, Sarah Caballero, Charmica Yacapin, Michelle Jean Abalde, Xenah Delima and their trainer Mikylla Andrea Albarico.
The donation was a great help for the Lumbia girls. FFF also helps other girls from all over the world and from other parts of the Philippines. The charity only help girls.
I wish there is also a charity for male footballers. There are hundreds of them in Lumbia playing with their bare feet, without shin guards without jerseys and many times without food in their stomach. Someday we will find them. (jackbiantantambok@gmail.com)
###