Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Two young leaders, both alumni of Street Child United (SCU), presented the United Declaration of the Street Child World Cup 2026 at the United Nations, a document built around football and the campaign message “I Am Somebody.”
Samantha Richards shared that football gave her friendships, leadership skills, and a platform to discuss mental health. She became the first in her family to earn a college degree through SCU connections. Richards emphasized sport as a catalyst for mental health advocacy and encouraged speaking up about struggles.
Ma. Isabel Hifume, who grew up in the Philippine foster care system, said SCU provided her a team to lead, a platform for her voice, and opportunities including a scholarship for study in the US and a PhD offer from Oxford University. She described football as an opening to curiosity beyond the game.
The declaration was developed outside UN settings in Oaxtepec, Mexico, during the 2026 Street Child World Cup, where 28 teams competed. Delegates drafted and endorsed the text, emphasizing five priorities: legal identity, education, protection from violence, gender equality, and a genuine say in decisions affecting their lives.
SCU is affiliated with the UN’s Football for the Goals initiative, which uses sport to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Presenting the declaration in New York shortly after Richards addressed the General Assembly gave the grassroots process global visibility.
Richards reflected that standing in the UN’s Hall of Flags and General Assembly was about making invisible young people visible and showed how football helped her find her voice.