Marko Kasic, a British philanthropist and founder of FundLife, a leading non-governmental organization established to rebuild communities devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City, has completed a 600km running challenge across Luzon, urging greater investment in grassroots sports for children in the Philippines. Following the recent success of Filipino athletes, including Carlos Yulo’s two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kasic emphasizes the need for substantial support to help young Filipinos reach their full potential. The project, Move Luzon “Run with Purpose,” is part of FundLife’s “Play Equity” Pledge to campaign for the freedom of all children to play and learn safely.
Specifically, the effort aims to provide 5,000 underserved children access to running clinics and equip a hundred DepEd teachers with the basics to teach running classes. FundLife uses sports to protect, educate and empower vulnerable children to work hard for a better life. Hence, the project was conceived to encourage Filipino children to start running, which can lead to educational opportunities.
“If they excel at running or any sport, it could provide them with an athletic scholarship to finish high school and enter college. Running can be an attainable pathway from poverty to educational and economic prosperity,” Kasic emphasized. The Move Luzon initiative also showcased the beauty and potential of Luzon’s communities.
It was a partnership between FundLife, and the Bike Scouts project, a social platform aimed at helping people and bicycles become movers of true community-based resilience. FundLife is also actively involved in providing safe spaces for children. In Tacloban, the Generation Amazing Community Center (GACC), an integrated community and learning center for children, will open in October 2024.
The 1,200 sq/m community-owned space, worth about P25,000,000, will contain a multi-purpose sports hall, integrated learning and employment training room, community canteen, and a community co-study and co-working space. Furthermore, in 2021 FundLife, in collaboration with the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, provided hundreds of Samal-Bajau children with safe space for recreational and educational play during the Covid-19 pandemic by building the first-ever floating football pitch in the country located in Maluso, Basilan, Mindanao. Over the years, FundLife has directly impacted 86,000 children and young people through its programs.
Fourteen schools have adopted the FundLife curriculum, 780 teachers and youth leaders have been upskilled, and seven safe spaces have been reclaimed for youth and women. More information can be found at.
