Location and general information
Access to Sport - 
Conflict victims - 
Employability - 
Personal developmentContext
Nigeria is simultaneously Africa’s most populous country and one of the youngest, with 63% of its 224 million people aged 24 or younger. Despite being the largest economy on the continent, Nigeria faces extreme economic inequality – 40% of the population live in absolute poverty and 53% experience multidimensional poverty.
Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has also faced persistent interreligious and ethnic conflicts, particularly between its two major religious groups, Muslims and Christians. The conflicts have led to millions of deaths throughout the years and caused significant social, economic and infrastructural damage. Nigeria is currently plagued by violence, particularly in the northeast, where Boko Haram and other extremist terrorist groups have been active since the early 2000s.
According to UNICEF, six in ten children in Nigeria experience violence in their daily lives and around 20 million do not go to school. The situation is particular dire for girls, who are more likely than boys to miss out on education, especially in the northern regions, where only 44% of girls receive a primary education and 48% marry before the age of 15. Out-of-school children are particularly vulnerable to violence, crime, child labour and recruitment by militia, making them less likely to break the cycle of poverty and conflict.
Young adults are another vulnerable group in Nigeria – nearly 40% of 25 to 34-year-olds are unemployed, while unemployment among 15 to 24-year-olds reached a soaring 53.4% in 2021. The resultant uncertainty and discouragement have damaging effects on individuals, communities, economies and society at large. Unemployed and underemployed young adults are less able to contribute to national development, have fewer opportunities to exercise their rights and often have limited capacity to bring about change in their lives and communities.
Project goals
Overall objective
Promote peaceful coexistence, improve the well-being of vulnerable children and empower young adults in Nigeria
Specific goals
- Offer safe and child-friendly spaces to engage 4,000 children aged 6 to 14 in monthly youth-led sports and cultural activities that foster cooperation and positive relationships across societal divides
- Promote peace, trust and cohesion among divided communities in target areas
- Empower 100 young leaders and coaches who are not in education, employment or training, and provide them with networks, training, tools and hands-on experience to enable them to become active community participants and role models
- Set up volunteer associations to enhance the soft skills and abilities of these young leaders
Project content
Fun Football
The Fun Football project involves community-based and child-centred activities that foster communication and cooperation between adversarial groups, increasing trust and promoting positive relations. The project brings people together in safe and inclusive social environments through play and common interests – namely children’s well-being. Trained volunteer youth leaders and coaches organise Fun Football activities and festivals, which comply with the following fundamental principles:
- Games must be fun and non-competitive; children play in mixed teams with, never against, each other.
- The activities must bring children, coaches, football clubs and communities together across societal divides.
- The activities must promote an inclusive environment and ethnic and social diversity. At least 30% of the children participating must be disabled, refugees, orphans or vulnerable children not normally involved in organised sport.
- The activities must promote girls' football; 40–60% of participants should be girls and women.
- The activities must be organised by trained volunteer coaches.
Youth Leadership Education
There are two levels to the Youth Leadership Education project: basic and advanced. The basic level took place in 2024 and consisted of a three-day interregional seminar, five days of practical sessions with children and individual feedback from experienced instructors. Participants were trained as volunteer coaches, enabling them to organise Fun Football events for children and engage different communities across social divides. This allowed the young leaders to enhance their communication, organisational and problem-solving skills, while expanding their social networks.
The second level will provide advanced training to volunteer leaders and coaches, with a focus on local sustainability. To ensure that this project continues to run in the medium to long-term, young coaches will be encouraged to integrate these activities into existing football clubs or set up their own grassroots clubs. They will learn how to start, manage and develop democratic volunteer associations in collaboration with regional football associations. Running Fun Football activities alongside local associations will not only enhance sustainability and promote local ownership, it will also provide the coaches with a platform to develop and implement their own sports-based community initiatives, strengthening their sense of agency and entrepreneurial skills and broadening their networks.
Partners
