A Philippine football team composed of nine street children has been formed last Sunday to compete in the 1st Deloitte Street Children World Cup set March in Dunbar, South Africa.

Team co-organizer Ed Formoso said six boys and three girls were picked from a pool to don the country’s colors in the tourney that seeks to provide homeless children a venue not only to compete but also to talk about issues that matters to them.

According to the tournament’s website, children from nine countries will play under international coaches and will be asked to express themselves with trained artists who will enable them to tell their stories and their needs.

Through the street children’s testimonies, tournament organizers will then “formulate a global Street Child Manifesto and launch a campaign calling for street children’s rights to a full, healthy, dignified life as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).”

Teams from Brazil, India, Nicaragua, South Africa, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Tanzania, and Vietnam will also see action.

“We are excited for the team. This will be the first time for the country to have this kind of team,” said Formoso, adding that the players were chosen from a pool provided by acknowledged children centers and clubs like Tuloy sa Don Bosco Street Children Village, Nayon ng Kabataan, Manila Boys Town Complex, Philippine Christian Foundation, Gawad Kalinga, The Tondo Futkaleros, Football Club of Leveriza, and Muntinlupa United FC.

Formoso said they had a hard time in their initial bid to form a pool of candidates since some of the children don’t have birth certificates or have been disqualified because of false information.

The 14 to 16 years old tournament will enforce a six-a-side format which requires that one