Borneo Football International Foundation
Kalimantan, Indonesia
Supported by Susila Dharma Canada since 2018!
The Borneo Football International Foundation has been working in Kalimantan since 2015 providing a healthy and safe environment for local children (many of them from low income families), who like to play football (soccer). The Academy now has over 300 players, including three all-girls teams and reaches more than 1,000 students in local schools through football training, health and education programs.
The Borneo Football International Academy, located in the Subud community of Rungan Sari, was begun by Subud members with just 14 young people. By 2019 the Academy provided football training to 300 young players, many of them girls, as well as distributing books on basic English to 700 players in schools.
The objectives of this project are:
To provide clear information about the practice of football and its benefits using English terms as a way to motivate children and youth to engage in English learning as a way to complete their formal education.
To encourage students to improve their skills in computer and English at the YUM Vocational Training Centre.
To increase awareness amongst the new generations about the importance to protect and manage the natural resources in a balance way.
Daniela Bustillo, the Project Director, reports:
“It is the only Academy of its kind in the entire region, and has drawn support from local government and private institutions to fund the first Borneo Football Cup in 2015, held at the Palankaraya Stadium. It has become a grand, much-awaited tournament since!”
"Due to the COVID 19 outbreak life as we have known it has changed and at Borneo Football International Academy, we have adapted to the new needs to better serve our young participants. We have shifted the focus of our activities to ensure the safety of all of our staff and beneficiaries by providing COVID 19 educational information to all participants related with the prevention of the virus transmission. One of our main concerns is to support the children that are now isolated at home and to support the families that are currently unable to secure an income. The BFIA team is providing support to 1,200 Kalimantan children through, nutritional assistance, educational material, masks, sports material and online tutorials. Additionally, it is distributing hygiene kits and food to local families."
Kalimantan Hall
In 2021, the Foundation announced an ambitious and exciting new development project. This would include a much needed indoor stadium (to be called Kalimantan Hall, that could be used for training, workshops and cultural & recreational events), as well as dormitories and necessary infrastructure.
A fundraising scheme is underway to raise the needed capital by mid-2023, and Susila Dharma Canada has already committed US$5,000 (around CAN$6,000) to the Borneo Football International Foundation over three years (2021-2022-2023) for this project.