YOUTH DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SPORT
our history
our INITIATIVES
our team
Our history
We are a French association (law 1901), registered in Cambodia under the name of Kampuchea Balopp as a non-profit, apolitical, and non-religious organization. In Khmer “balopp” means rugby but also “to embrace the ball”.
Since our creation in 2013, we have assisted underprivileged and/or disabled children in Cambodia in their development through sport. Sport, and rugby in particular, is used as a tool for education and social integration for children. The latter is led to develop essential human qualities, such as sharing, mutual respect, tolerance, team spirit, a sense of responsibility, increasing self-confidence and many other social values.
In Cambodia, young people make up a third of the population, which is why it is vital that they are ready for the future. Today, we offer access to a weekly collective sports activity to more than 900 underprivileged children.
The desire to extend our missions to other countries and in particular to Myanmar made the name of Kampuchea Balopp evolve to Balopp Initiative.
Our Initiatives
Gender equality
In the past, women in Cambodia did not have access to sport, and were encouraged to follow more traditional activities. We have identified a real need to empower young women and help them realise and use their full potential.
Over the past six years, we have seen that restoring equality by removing barriers has had a huge positive impact on the women participating in the program. Today, 60% of the children benefiting from the program are girls.
SOCIAL INCLUSION
To break down social barriers and give the children in the program the opportunity to form friendships and meet other children from different parts of the world and social strata, we bring together around 600 children on KB days. Thus, a morning of sports activities where all the children are mixed is organised every two months. These days are extremely beneficial and receive excellent feedback.
DISABILITY
We are working with several local organisations to develop our program for children with hearing, sight or cognitive disabilities. For most of these children who have benefitted from this program, it was the first time that they had played sport. Regular physical activity has had an incredible impact on their emotional and physical well-being.
We also organise Disability Olympiads every year to raise awareness of the benefits of practicing sport for children with disabilities.
Our funders
In Cambodia, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are not given many opportunities to express and develop their energy and enthusiasm through sport. Rugby is an ideal tool for them to have fun while being aware of the core values of the sport. Rugby also allows them to build a bridge connecting them with other social categories, it’s a great social lift!
Rugby is the ideal sport for educating children. Besides, it’s not just a team sport, it’s a philosophy, serving as an educational tool for all the children who practice it. It teaches them the most important values of life, helping them to become good people in society. Thanks to rugby, children don’t just learn values, they also discover themselves, gain confidence and feel they exist in a group.
Le rugby est plus qu’une passion, sans lui je ne serai pas le garçon que je suis aujourd’hui. La convivialité, l’abnégation, l’esprit d’équipe, le sens du devoir et du partage. Pour moi le rugby c’est l’école de la vie. Le sport et notamment le rugby permet à chaque enfant de parvenir à s’épanouir, d’avoir une bonne fatigue et au Cambodge de sortir d’un cadre de misère sociale. Pendant l’espace d’un entraînement, ils deviennent comme tous les autres enfants du monde qui font du sport.
Our Team
Benjamin Coignoux
Program Manager
Reth Ra
Sport Educator Leader
Sophorn
Senior Sport Educator
Keo Soknov
Sport Educator
Sport Educator
Educateur sportif
Camille Orus
Project Manager - Fundraising - Communication
Saut Chakrya
Administrative Manager