Kim Chi is a young girl from northern Vietnam. She plays for a team called Tomatoes, and rugby is her chosen sport.

But joining team Tomatoes wasn’t easy. First, Kim Chi had to get her parents’ approval: “They told me that I should stay home and help them with housework; that there is no use for a girl to play tag rugby, and that I should spend my free time doing my homework. They also thought I should not play sport because I got sick quite often.”

New York, NY, 4 September 2018 -- World Rugby and ChildFund have today launched a major international partnership to change children’s lives through the transformative power of sport, as part of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.

“We awarded the tournament to Japan because we knew that it could be a powerful game-changer for sporting and social change in Asia," said World Rugby Chief Executive Officer Brett Gosper. "As a transformational rugby for good program, ChildFund Pass It Back is the perfect embodiment of that objective and we are excited about the impact rugby can have for thousands of children within the world’s most populous and youthful continent.

“Rugby is a sport of character-building values and we have witnessed the solidarity of the rugby community in rallying behind Kamaishiand I am sure that fans purchasing tickets for Asia’s first Rugby World Cup will be generous in supporting rugby programs that will make a real and lasting difference to thousands of disadvantaged children.”