ARMSTRONG VAZ MARGAO [EMAIL PROTECTED]
After having fallen in love with his adopted holiday State Goa The former real agent H A Prins has decided to pitch in and help the not so privilege people of the state in the coming years. He has put together a foundation of three persons “Stichting Cavelossim” a registered firm in Amstredam Holland with an aim to provide sucour to the villagers of Cavelossim. The former real agent for last forty years in Amsterdam, Holland H A Prins has been a regular visitor to Goa for the last five years. The sixty five year old, has spend the last of his four holidays in Cavelossim village in south Goa. He also is learning the Konkani language from former football referee Mariano Mendes as he plans to spend the rest of his life here in Goa. The aim of the foundation accordings to Prins would be to Activiate and support sports activity in Cavelossim Goa and the second objective would be to Support and help to youth and older poor people of Cavelossim. Elaborating further Prins disclosed that He plans to build a football ground in Cavelossim if sufficient space is available in the village for the project. He further adds that if no land is available in Cavelossim he does not mind moving to any other village to help in the project of building a world class football field for youngsters. He also disclosed that he is ready to bring in the expertise and sponsors for the football ground and all that he needs is a piece of land to build the dream project. On the second aspect of the charity foundation he disclosed that he plans to buy an ambulance for the village, to transport the old and poor for mass and other medical facilities. Besides he plans to use the ambulance during its free time to transport boys from the village for football practice. He also disclosed that the foundation has already opened a Bank account back in Holland and that Dutch donors can now avail of tax benefits if they make donation for the foundation. Elaborating on the tax benefits he added that if a person , company or any registered firm makes a donation to an unregistered firm in Holland then the donor has to pay another 50 percent as tax to the tax authorities for having made a donation to an unregistered charity. “Our foundation is registered with the tax office” he added The Three directors are Reginald Antonio Prins- Chairman, Daniel Bouland as Secretary and Sientje Stapel is the other member of the foundation. The former real agent for last forty years in Amsterdam, Holland H A Prins has been a regular visitor to Goa for the last five years. The sixty five year old, has spend the last of his four holidays in Cavelossim village in south Goa. He also is learning Konkani language from former football referee Mariano Mendes as he plans to spend the rest of his life here in Goa. After a Christmas gift for twenty five budding footballers from Cavelossim is determined , they will cherish throughout their life coming out from the bag of Christmas father who has made his way in the coastal village of Cavelossim from far away land of Holland. Christmas is time to rejoice and share in the happiness with others who are less privileged. With this is mind H A Prins is determined to make the dream of twenty five budding footballers from Cavelossim a Christmas gift which they will cherish throughout their life. Prins is fascinated by the village and has fallen in love with the village and its people since the last three years. The former real agent who slogged day in and day out for forty years in Amsterdam has been a regular visitor to Goa for the last five years. On his love for Cavelossim and its people he goes back down memory lane pointing out that he was born in a similar surrounding in a small village in Holland. “I want to spend the rest of my life here says the sixty five year old”. Explaining further he adds “ I like the way people help each other.” “I also wanted to help the people of the village and what better way then being associated with young football players from the village. Young people need sports. Young people need good ground to start their football career” he emphasizes. “If Varca village can have a good football ground and an excellent playing surface why not Cavelosim “he questions. “the dream of the people of Cavelossim would materialize “he says confidentially with the all round cooperation of the fellow villagers right from the local panchayat body, social workers, well wishers and football lovers who all would love to have a sports complex at Cavelossim alleviated to a top class football field in Goa. Prins has himself being a Rugby player and follows others sporting events in Hockey besides football. He is not an avid fan of the big clubs of Holland but would like to put his money behind a lesser known club and players. The reasons for the choice he would not like to be print as he would invite the wrath of his former star players from Holland who have been his friends and who he would his contacts to get the finances for his football dreams of Cavelossim village. Prins has set in motion the path of budding footballers by donating football shoes and equipment to under 15 footballers from Cavelossim which he humbly says is not from him but from people of Holland. Prins is one who shuns publicity and instead suggests that some of his promising players from Cavelossim be featured in the press, instead of his photo being splashed in the newspapers. Prins along with his well wishers and friends from Holland has grand plans for football and footballers in the village of Cavelossim. Plans which he would divulge at the moment but make it public after all the formalities have been completed. Plans which he says would change the face of football in Cavelossim and in the nearby villages. Prins also plans to use his excellent connections back home to raise funds for an ambulance for the village old and sick to ferry them for church services and to the doctor. The vehicle he informs would also double up as a team bus for the young players he adds. Prins is in the process of finalizing the name for his football academy which will have five members as directors of the academy. The directors meeting once every month to discuss the progress and shortcomings of the academy he informs. He also wants to start a girl’s football team in the village but the girl’s project would take time to take off as Prins and his friends work out the modalities for the football academy. All the twenty five under football players who have the beneficiaries of Prins football scholarship are training under referee and former Haywards sporting assistant coach Severino Fernandes. Prins is inspired by the land and its people and also its language and to relate better with the people of the village he has taken up the task of learning Konkani language. “Former football referee Mariano Mendes is teaching me Konkani for the last three weeks he informs. “Susegaddo , suseggado” were the first words I learned in Konkani . till then the bald energetic Dutch man treads his path slowly and steadily towards the desired goals set by him for the village and its people.
