Zurich Malaysia and the World Vision Malaysia Foundation, Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF) and Kushbu Oli from Nepal have won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Dream Asia Awards 2018 at today’s AFC Social Responsibility Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
As part of the AFC’s commitment to strengthen the annual awards, this year’s winners will each receive an added incentive of USD $10,000 for the first time, enabling them to bolster their social responsibility programmes and efforts.
In addition to the corporate, non-governmental organisation (NGO) and individual awards, three new categories for the AFC Member Associations were also introduced this year. The Chinese Football Association claimed the Inspiring category, while the Football of Malaysia clinched the Developing award with the Mongolian Football Federation taking the honours in the Aspiring category.
Chairman of the AFC Social Responsibility Committee, Ahmed Eid S. Al Harbi said: “Social responsibility is one of the key goals of the AFC’s mission and through our AFC Dream Asia Awards and the AFC Dream Asia Foundation, we have seen the great impact that football has to change lives and transform communities.
“With the latest enhancements, the AFC is fully committed to strengthening the social responsibility landscape in Asia and expanding the reach of our efforts by recognising and partnering with some of the world’s leading organisations.”
Kushbu Oli, the winner in the individual category, is a founder president of Shelter Ashraya Nepal which envisions self-sufficient villages where, everybody is self-reliant, employed as well as to advocate women empowerment regardless of economic condition, caste, creed, religion and language so that they are able to lead meaningful and dignified lives.
The shelter is a safe haven for children who are at risk of or have been subjected to domestic violence. The conducive environment at the shelter provides essential support systems to rebuild confidence and lifelong values, emphasises on the importance of nutrition and rehabilitation.
Working together with Special Help Groups (SHGs), the Shelter has been providing female teenagers the platform to express their challenges and identify solutions to reduce the chances of abuse. Since 2014, 50 children have been reunited with their families and are reintegrating well into communities across five districts in the South Asian nation.
In 2017, Kushbu Oli was instrumental in organising the National Street Child Football League with the All Nepal Football Association as a technical partner. Focusing on displaced, orphan and marginalised groups, the aim of the programme was to create self-awareness and to improve the confidence of the children, giving them a greater voice in society.
