WILLEMSTAD - Rocky Hehakaija, former player of the Dutch Junior Team and co-founder of the worldwide street soccer project Favela Street, wants to train young girls with special football clinics to become independent soccer coaches.

The idea is that the girls will organize sports activities as a soccer coach for other children from the neighborhood. The project starts in Montaña and will then expand to other disadvantaged neighborhoods in Curaçao, such as Otrobanda, Buena Vista and Barber.

“Favela Street originally started in Brazil, hence the name Favela,” says Hehakaija. The foundation gives workshops, aimed at personal development. “They learn, among other things, how they can organize sports activities in their neighborhood. With as few resources as possible, because there are no means everywhere. In addition, we look at who the girls are as a person and how they can be a role model for the rest.”

The project is financed by the Urgency Program of the Ministry of Social Development, Labor and Welfare (SOAW). The emergency program is an action plan from the Rhuggenaath Cabinet to reduce poverty at neighborhood level.

Special reporting by Caribbean Network
Photo credit: Kim Hendriksen