PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA:Chevrolet today launched its latest CSR campaign in Cambodia with its partner One World Futbol Project, in a parallel campaign in conjunction with the automaker’s ‘Be Responsible’ road-safety campaign. The CSR campaign will enable Chevrolet to reach out to children via the game of soccerand opportunities to highlight the importance of road-safety and the need to be responsible, on and off the road. It also reflects Chevrolet’s commitment to be responsible to communities in markets it operates.
In cooperation with its Cambodian dealer-partner United Auto Trading Company (UAT), Chevrolet will partner with Phnom Penh Crown Football Club (PP Crown), SALT Academy and Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation for the distribution of 5,800 nearly indestructible One World Futbolsto benefit more than 20,000 children nationwide. The balls will be donated to schools, university foundations and non-governmental organizations.
Mr. Norm Tong, Chairman of UAT said, “Merging football with a road-safety campaign is unique. Chevrolet and One World Futbol Project give us just that opportunity. It enables us to create a children-friendly environment, and our proximity to them makes it easier for us to perform our duties to explain and educate them on the importance of being responsible not just on the road, but in sports and in life. This is especially important in a country that is unfortunately marred by many road accidents and fatalities.”
Road accidents are the leading cause of injury and death in Cambodia. Fatality has doubled over the past eight years. Young people aged 15-29 years old made up more than half of all deaths, with students accounting for 14 percent of all fatalities. Thirty-five percent of this consisted of university students.
Hav Norm, Director of UAT added,“Sports can change the life ofchildren. The power of play brought by the Chevrolet and One World Futbol Project partnership can help them learn, grow, build and increase their confidence and improve themselves, no matter what circumstances they came from. ‘Be responsible’is also a commitment by Chevrolet Cambodia to promote road safety not only via safety features on our vehicles, but also by educating Chevrolet drivers to be responsible drivers.”
PP Crown and SALT Academy will organize various tournaments and festivals to mark the donation of the One World Futbols around the country. In addition to the media, Chevrolet owners will also be invited to some of the events.
PP Crown is a Cambodian professional football club, based in Phnom Penh. Founded in 2001, PP Crown has won the Cambodian League (officially known as Metfone C-League, the top division of the Cambodian Football Federation) a record four times. Meanwhile, SALT Academy is a developmental charity based in Northwestern Cambodia that uses football to bring social change and education. SALT (acronym for Sport and Leadership Training) aims to develop young leaders through a sustainable community-based football league, incorporating life-skills lessons, vocational training and community engagement. The third partner in Chevrolet’s latest campaign is AIP, a non-profit organization founded to combat the growing traffic crisis in Southeast Asian countries.
Chevrolet partnered with One World Futbol Project in May 2012 and pledged to support the donation and distribution of 1.5 million One World Futbols to organizations working with youth in war-stricken zones, refugee camps, disaster areas, and other underprivileged communities around the world. Chevrolet is the founding sponsor of One World Futbol Project, a mission-driven, B-corporation which was established in 2010. The One World Futbol inventor – Tim Jahnigen – was inspired to start the company after watching news footage of kids in Darfur playing a football game using a ball of trash tied up with twine.
The specially-engineered One World Futbolnever needs a pump and never deflates even when punctured, making it ideal for play in all terrains such as concrete, blacktops, dirt, rocky field or grass, and harsh environments. To date, Chevrolet-branded One World Futbols have been distributed across five continents bringing the healing “Power of Play” to millions of children.