ChildFund Pass It Back Shortlisted for Two Beyond Sport Awards

ChildFund Pass It Back, a unique sport for development program currently being implemented in Asia, has been shortlisted in the prestigious Beyond Sport Awards in two award categories; Best Partnership or Collaboration Award and the UNICEF Safeguarding Children in Sport Award.

This high profile event is held annually to highlight organisations which are successfully using sport to promote and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

ChildFund Australia’s International Program Director, Margaret Sheehan said: “This is a program that we are incredibly proud of. Not only does ChildFund Pass It Back give marginalised children from poor communities in Asia the opportunity to learn valuable life skills through rugby, it also provides children with the opportunity to play organised sport, often for the first time.”

ChildFund’s Pass it Back program was set up for children in rural and remote communities of Laos and Vietnam, who face significant challenges around poverty and inequality. Implemented in partnership with World Rugby, Asia Rugby and Women Win, more than 3,000 children and youth from Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam have benefitted from participation in the program over more than 10,000 individual rugby and life skills sessions.

Asia Rugby General Manager, Ross Mitchell said, “Asia Rugby sees the ChildFund Pass It Back program as one of the ways that we can sustainably grow the game in Asia, whilst also ensuring that the unique values of rugby are building character in some of the most disadvantaged communities in our region, particularly for girls and women. ChildFund Pass It Back has been particularly effective at engaging with girls and women, with females making up more than 50% of all players and coaches.”

The Beyond Sport Awards will be taking place in New York on the 26 July in New York.

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Pass It Back is an innovative Sport for Development program led by ChildFund in partnership with World Rugby, Asia Rugby and Women Win that delivers an integrated life skills and rugby curriculum for children and young people in disadvantaged communities across Asia.