The two young leaders, both alumni of Street Child United (SCU), presented the Street Children World Cup 2026 United Declaration – a document built around football and around the campaign message “I am somebody”.
A pitch, not a pity party
Ms. Richards grew up facing challenges at home that took a toll on her mental health and sometimes placed her in risky situations.
Samantha Richards from Street Child United addresses a meeting at the UN on football and mental health.
Football has changed this trajectory. “Growing up, I had some struggles at home,” she said. “But football gave me friendships, leadership skills and a way to express myself.”
Through SCU, she met and followed other college-seeking soccer players, becoming the first in her family to earn a college degree. “Sports is a catalyst for mental health advocacy, and it’s okay to speak up when you’re struggling, just like I did,” she said.
Ms. Hifume’s journey to New York began in the Philippines’ foster care system, where isolation bred sadness and loneliness.
“In foster care, it’s so easy to think that you’re nothing more than a foster child,” she said. SCU gave him something else: a team to lead, a platform to speak and, ultimately, a scholarship to study in the United States and a doctorate offer from Oxford University. “Football gave me the gift of being curious about the rest of the world, beyond the game,” she said.
Twenty-eight teams, one declaration
The declaration itself was forged far from the halls of the UN, in Oaxtepec, Mexico, where 28 teams participated in this year’s Street Children’s World Cup.
Delegates from each camp drafted and approved the text at the tournament, distilling their demands into five priorities: legal identity, education, protection from violence, gender equality and meaningful participation in decisions that affect their lives.
SCU is part of the UN Football for the Goals initiative, which uses sport to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Delivering the declaration in New York – which co-hosted the World Cup final – days after Ms. Richards addressed a panel in the General Assembly Hall, gave this grassroots process rare access to the world stage.
The Street Child United organization created the Street Children’s World Cup. The event brings together children in vulnerable situations to play sports in the same city or continent where the official World Cup is taking place.
No longer invisible
For Ms. Richards, this moment came full circle. “Being present in the flag room and at the General Assembly was not just about me,” she said. “It was about every young person who has felt invisible. Through football, I found my voice and today we showed that our voices have a place in these spaces.”
Ms Hifume presented it as an argument for investment rather than neglect. “This Declaration aims to ensure that every street child knows that they matter,” she said. “When we invest in children, they become leaders. »
Both insist the real test begins now, once the applause in the flag room has died down.
They want governments and agencies to treat the declaration’s five demands as a checklist, not a memory, and to continue listening to street children well beyond the tournament that birthed the declaration.
As Ms. Richards said, the declaration is based on a simple recognition that “we are all somebody.”
Members of Street Child United visit UN headquarters.
