Generation Sport 2021

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Armenia
Start date 04/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €63,959
Foundation funding €55,052
Project identifier 20200519
Partners Armenian Fund for Sustainable Development
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Physical education is compulsory for all schoolchildren in Armenia and one of their favourites. However, a lack of equipment and the poor condition of sports facilities in schools make it difficult for lessons to take place properly.

Regularly practising sport helps young people learn values such as respect, team spirit, regular attendance, politeness and personal investment, which are all essential for social and professional integration.

The Armenian Fund for Sustainable Development has always been closely involved in education. Its Generation Sport 2021 project follows on from Generation Sport 2020, which was extremely successful nationwide and resulted in 16 schools receiving sports equipment.

Project content

Schools will be invited to create a short video about the school, school life, the pupils’ motivation for applying and their sporting achievements, as well as their involvement in the community and in protecting the environment. The Armenian Fund for Sustainable Development and the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport will select 25 schools to receive sports equipment.

The Armenian Fund for Sustainable Development will organise several events to encourage young people to take part in sports, including visits by sports personalities to motivate them to reach their full potential. A sports competition for schoolchildren will also be held in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport.

Objectives

  • Encourage young people to practise sport and fulfil their potential.
  • Promote inclusion of pupils with disabilities through sports.

Project activities

  • Purchasing and distributing sports equipment to 25 schools, with priority given to schools in remote areas and with disabled pupils.
  • Supporting the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports in the organisation of a national sports competition.
  • Organising sports events at schools, including visits from sports personalities.

Expected results

  • 368,968 children in 1,403 schools will be informed and educated about sport.
  • At least 100 schools (with over 35,000 pupils) will take part in the competition to receive sports equipment.
  • 25 schools will receive sports equipment, benefiting at least 7,500 children.
  • At least 10 motivational visits will take place for the benefit of 1,000 children.
  • At least four inclusion through sport events will take place for 200 children.
  • 300 brochures about the importance of sport will be distributed to children.
  • 300 sports awareness posters will be displayed in schools.

Partner

Sports for Resilience and Empowerment Project (SREP)

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Uganda , Kampala
Start date 03/01/2021
End date 03/01/2022
Cost of the project €193,215
Foundation funding €144,911
Project identifier 20200410
Partners Aliguma Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Children make up 60% of the Ugandan population, and 55% of them are experiencing child poverty. Of the 270 million people in Africa living in slums, 2.4 million are in Uganda and 60% of them reside in Kampala. Acholi Quarters is one of the biggest slums in Kampala and is home to over 20,000 people. Children living in slums face deprivation, exclusion, vulnerability and lifelong difficulties linked to limited physical, psychological and intellectual development. They are exposed to violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect, child labour, trafficking, sexual exploitation and child marriage.

Project content

The Sports for Resilience and Empowerment Project (SREP) aims to transform the vulnerable Acholi Quarters community through sports and was a result of consultations between the Aliguma Foundation, the children’s families and caregivers and community leaders. The project targets girls, boys, women and other caregivers (including refugees and those with disabilities) living in Acholi Quarters. A sports facility equipped with basic training facilities will enable 850 women and other caregivers to gain skills to start and manage their own businesses, allowing them to take care of themselves and their families sustainably. The goal is to protect over 2,500 children from exploitation and enable them to go to school and delay marriage until the right time.

Objectives

  • Develop a sports training facility to develop the talent of children in Acholi Quarters slums.
  • Use sport and trade skills to empower 2,500 children and 850 caregivers to escape social and economic exclusion by 2021.
  • Improve the capacity of 200 trainers and coaches to manage and improve the talent and social behaviour of the children.
  • Create access to social and economic opportunities for women and their children.
  • Raise awareness about child protection and gender equality.

Project activities

  • Training and mentoring community-based volunteers, informal community trainers and coaches, linking them to schools and churches in the community and establishing a ‘children- to-coaches’ support network.
  • Community sports activities and events involving all demographics of the community for social, health and wellness as well as talent development purposes.
  • Installing and erecting goal posts and nets, fencing the sports facility, building toilets and changing rooms, and procuring balls and other training equipment.
  • Training caregivers in practical skills such as shoe making, jewellery, tailoring, fashion and design, cookery, house-keeping, child care, nutrition, phone repair, computer literacy, finance, business plans and business development.
  • Drafting user manuals, best practice briefs and articles and conducting research studies and project evaluation.

Expected results

  • A sports facility in Acholi Quarters equipped with decent basic training facilities, toilets and changing rooms.
  • 200 trainers and coaches able to manage the holistic development of children.
  • At least 700 women and other caregivers possessing skills needed to start and manage their own businesses and take care of themselves and their families.
  • 2,500 children aged 6–17 (1,800 girls and 700 boys) protected from exploitation and able to go to school and delay marriage.
  • Gender equality in Acholi Quarters promoted and improved through equal opportunities.

Partner

We are the Champions

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location South-Sudan
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €180,166
Foundation funding €103,200
Project identifier 20200429
Partners Light for the World International
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims

Context

Over 1.87 million South Sudanese people have been internally displaced by the conflicts that erupted in December 2013 and July 2016. In the aftermath of the December 2013 to April 2014 conflict, Light for the World carried out an informal random appraisal of the accessibility of the humanitarian services provided by various agencies in the Mahad and Gumbo Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps and host communities. It primarily assessed the education and rehabilitation services for children and adults with disabilities; the general physical accessibility of the camps; and the knowledge, attitude and practices of the humanitarian assistance staff in relation to disabilities. It was found that the knowledge, competencies, vulnerability and needs of persons with disabilities, especially children, girls and women, were being ignored.

Project content

The project’s main goal is to use sports to promote the rights of children with disabilities to access basic health, rehabilitation, education and other services in schools, IDP camps and host community settings.

Sports will further uplift spirits, promote inter-ethnic togetherness, raise disability awareness, and enhance social-cultural and economic inclusion and participation leading to empowerment and independence for persons with disabilities.

Objectives

  • Use the power of inclusive sports as a transformational tool in IDP camps and schools to break down the barriers preventing persons with disabilities from accessing humanitarian response services and education.
  • Promote inclusion in mainstream sports activities in three IDP camps and 90 schools.
  • Create an environment that promotes acceptance of disability.

Project activities

Creation of five inclusive football and basketball teams:

  • Community mobilisation with the support of community-based rehabilitation workers and disability inclusion facilitators
  • Procurement of sports equipment for football, basketball and indoor games, including first aid kits and dignity kits for girls with disabilities
  • Recruitment and orientation of coaches who will provide weekly coaching

Tournaments:

  • Tournaments in Juba every quarter for teams from three IDP camps
  • Friendly matches every month

Teacher training:

  • Training workshop for teachers/coaches in disability inclusion, inclusive sports, inclusive education and children’s rights
  • Refresher training for teachers and coaches
  • Follow-up on the impact of the training

Raising awareness:

  • Awareness raising campaign on disability rights/inclusion and peaceful coexistence including camp management committees
  • Celebration of World Refugee Day and International Day of Persons with Disabilities and production of information, education and communication materials

Disability mainstreaming:

  • Disability mainstreaming training for humanitarian and development organisations
  • Follow-ups and on-the-job coaching for humanitarian staff trained in disability inclusion
  • Continuous engagement with ministries, NGOs, companies and other stakeholders

Expected results

  • 5,000 children with disabilities will have access to existing services, including sports
  • 864 children with disabilities (250 girls and 614 boys) will participate in tournaments
  • 32 children from the inclusive sports team will be supported to become professional players
  • Five inclusive sports for peace teams will be created and trained and they will take part in friendly matches, tournaments and awareness raising campaigns
  • 90 teachers from 90 schools will be trained in inclusive sports lessons in a three-day training course
  • More than 18,000 people will be more aware of disability inclusion
  • There will be mass awareness campaigns in all three IDP camps and 90 schools
  • 18 humanitarian agencies in the IDP camps will become disability inclusive, through a five-day capacity-building training course

Partner

A Mini Football Pitch, an Athletics Track and Drinking Water at the Sport Éveil Académie Sports Centre

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Morocco, Ouarzazate
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €70,669
Foundation funding €30,000
Project identifier 20200470
Partners Solidarité Marathon des Sables association
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment

Context

To allow children whose parents are in financial difficulty to discover the values of sport from an early age, the Solidarité Marathon des Sables association opened the Sport Éveil Académie sports centre in Ouarzazate, Morocco in 2010, supported by donations from local sponsors and the Children & Future association based in Monaco.

Built in the outskirts of Ouarzazate, the sports centre was renovated and reopened on 14 April 2019. With a surface area of over 5,000 m2, the centre provides an introduction to sports sessions (for ages 3–12) and athletics sessions (for ages 6–12) to 240 children, 45% of whom are girls. Football sessions are provided for both boys and girls and registration is free. Sports outfits are provided, as well as a snack after every session.

The sports centre is located close to two primary schools in areas where there were previously no sports facilities. Now, lots of children aged 3–5 have access, for the first time in their lives, to a place where they can socialise and learn through games and sports.

Project content

The aim of the project is to connect the centre to a drinking water supply, install a 120m-long athletics track and create a mini seven-a-side football pitch. The plan is also to keep the sports centre running by partially covering the salaries of four of the eight coaching staff for a limited period of time. In 2020, the 35th Marathon des Sables was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning there were no competitors, no volunteers, and also no sponsors and no donors.

Objectives

The facilities are designed to ensure sports can be played safely and the space also accommodates competitions. Playing football encourages the girls and boys to try other sports. Paying part of four salaries for a limited period will prevent the centre from being closed down, allow training to continue and avoid talented and committed staff being lost.

Project activities

  • A mini football pitch with artificial turf will be built at the sports centre.
  • A 120m-long running track with two 120m-wide lanes will be installed.
  • Connection to drinking water will be performed by technicians from the national water authority.

Expected results

  • Running training sessions will be organised.
  • Competitions with prize-giving ceremonies will be held each month.
  • A drinking water supply will mean that costly plastic bottles will no longer have to be used.
  • The salaries of four employees will be paid during the first half of 2021.

Partner

Improving Protection, Socio-Educational Provision and Social Reintegration for Vulnerable Children in the Central African Republic

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Central African Republic, Bangui
Start date 03/01/2021
End date 04/28/2023
Cost of the project €780,000
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 20200647
Partners Triangle Génération Humanitaire
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

According to the Central African Republic’s Ministry of Social Affairs, there are 4,000 children living on the streets in Bangui. State social support services are limited and these children are exposed to drug abuse, prostitution, infectious diseases, gender-based and other forms of violence. Incarcerated minors are also vulnerable as their rights and dignity are not respected.

 

Project content

This two-year project aims to improve support for street children and incarcerated minors by boosting the capacity of child protection agencies and workers. To help these marginalised children reintegrate into society and their families, the project will cover all stages of their journey: assistance, accommodation, schooling and vocational training. Sport will provide educational and recreational opportunities.

Objectives

  • Improve support for vulnerable children who have lost social or family contact in Bangui and its surrounding areas
  • Maintain and develop services to improve the protection and reintegration of these children

Project activities

  • Developing the capacity of state actors and civil society in the area of child protection
  • Providing educational and social support to marginalised children:
    • medical and social assistance
    • outreach and education, particularly through sports
  • Supporting the social reintegration of marginalised children who are living on the streets or incarcerated through:
    • housing
    • schooling
    • vocational training
  • Reuniting children with their families

Expected results

  • Coordination and support measures for child protection agencies and workers will improve care for vulnerable children: 25 places in accommodation will be available for 150 children and 80 people working in child protection will be better informed.
  • 300 vulnerable children will have access to protection services which will help improve their living conditions.
  • Vulnerable children will be stabilised and helped to reintegrate into their families and society: 100 children will attend school and 30 young people will take part in vocational training or a work placement.

Partner

Blind Solidarity

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Mali, Bamako
Start date 01/02/2017
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €100,000
Foundation funding €60,000
Project identifier 20200717
Partners Libre Vue
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The Institut des Jeunes Aveugles, a school for blind children in Bamako, is home to 250 disabled children, where they live and study in difficult conditions. Since 2012, Libre Vue has provided a blind football programme to promote the schoolchildren’s access to sport and contribute to their personal development, health and inclusion.

Project content

The Solidarité Aveugle programme initially developed blind football at the school as a leisure activity for the children by creating a pitch and training coaches. Over time the programme has expanded to include other activities. Mali’s national blind football team was created out of the centre’s best players, coming 10th in the 2018 Blind Football World Championships and 2nd in the 2017 and 2019 Blind Football African Championships. The programme has also involved drilling a well to supply the school with drinking water, planting an organic vegetable garden to improve canteen food and raising public awareness about disability.

A total of 120 young people aged 6–20, 20% of whom are girls, take part in four weekly training sessions and have access to the Maison Cécifoot (home of blind football) equipped with showers and changing rooms.

Objectives

Despite the tragic events in Mali, over the past eight years Libre Vue has provided sports and solidarity activities for blind children with the support of its partners. The current objective is to upgrade its infrastructure with an artificial turf pitch that will allow the Solidarité Aveugle programme to become self-funding by organising events and hiring out the pitch.

Project activities

  • Operating the blind football centre in 2021: holding training sessions, providing sports equipment and mobility aids (white canes), organising exhibition matches and arranging public awareness raising events.
  • Installing an artificial pitch: importing the turf from France, building and under-pitch drainage system, installing the pitch, inaugurating the pitch.

Expected results

  • Improved playing conditions: replacing the dirt pitch will improve safety and enjoyment of the game and attract more children (25% more at the start of the 2021 school year).
  • Reach: coverage of the new facilities with help to publicise blind football in Mali and change attitudes towards disability (30% more followers on the Mali blind football Facebook page – 500 people more disability aware through blind football).
  • Elite level football: the pitch will be used by the national team for official matches or training (plan to hold a regional African tournament in 2022).
  • Funding: events, hiring out the pitch and the involvement of local partners will partially fund the activities (25% expected in 2022).

Partner

The Gazelles of Teranga

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Senegal, Gandon
Start date 04/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €61,000
Foundation funding €30,000
Project identifier 20200894
Partners Unis Vers le Sport
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

The Unis Vers le Sport (UVS) street children’s reception centre was opened in October 2019 in the Senegalese municipality of Gandon. Equipped with sports facilities and employing qualified sports coaches, the centre, which is in a rural location, is surrounded by numerous public schools. For cultural reasons, most girls in the region do not participate in any sports activities, which leads to physical and mental health problems in adulthood.

Project content

The ‘Gazelles of Teranga’ project aims to invite 2,500 schoolgirls from the surrounding rural districts to take part in regular sports activities and fun, educational workshops designed to teach them about the health benefits of regular participation in appropriate sports activities. Their teachers also receive training in sports coaching and first aid so they can continue running these activities after the end of the project.

Objectives

  • Participation of around 2,500 schoolgirls in regular sports activities.
  • Participation of around 2,500 schoolgirls in workshops designed to raise awareness of issues relating to health, hygiene, diet and sport relevant to the local context.
  • Training of teachers in sports coaching and first aid to give them the tools they need to continue running sports activities after the end of the project.
  • Distribution of sports clothing as well as sports and first aid equipment to schools in the region.

Project activities

  • Each day, 50 girls are taken from nearby schools to the UVS centre by coach.
  • Between 08:00 and 10:00, the girls participate in a session comprising gymnastics and fun sports activities.
  • They are given a snack between 10:00 and 10:30.
  • Between 10:30 and 12:00, the girls attend workshops designed to raise their awareness of issues relating to health, hygiene, diet and sport.
  • Meanwhile, from 08:00 until 12:00, teachers receive training in sports coaching and first aid, with 12 sessions spread over a three-month period.

Expected results

  • Regular participation in sport becomes the norm for girls in the region.
  • The physical and mental health of the 2,500 or so schoolgirls participating in the project is improved.
  • The women in the region suffer from fewer health problems resulting from a lack of participation in appropriate sports activities.
  • Basic knowledge of issues relating to health, hygiene, diet and sport is acquired.
  • The teachers gain the knowledge and skills needed to continue running the sports activities after the project is over.

Partner

Refugee-led Sport and Early Childhood Education Programmes Launch in Chad

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Chad
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 03/31/2022
Cost of the project €165,253
Foundation funding €77,145
Project identifier 20201117
Partners iACT
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Eastern Chad hosts 360,000 refugees, with numbers increasing due to violence in Sudan. Highlighted in the 2020 SDG report, refugees and those fleeing armed conflict, particularly women and children, face even greater risk to their health, education, and livelihoods due to COVID-19.

iACT is a groundbreaking international action organisation with a mission to inspire a more mindful humanitarian system. It works to ensure conflict-affected children and young people are able to exercise their rights to education and healthy development. iACT’s refugee-led, gender equity-focused early childhood education and football programmes meet immediate needs and have the ability to expand during and beyond the global pandemic to support communities long-term.

iACT’s Little Ripples and its Refugees United Soccer Academy (Academy) are the only programmes in eastern Chad that address gaps in preschool education and sport, providing refugee children aged 3–13 with comprehensive social-educational opportunities that will have a life-long impact. Little Ripples is an early childhood education programme that empowers refugees and communities affected by humanitarian crises to implement child-centred, quality, and comprehensive pre-primary education that supports the social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development of children aged 3–5. The Academy is a place for refugee girls and boys aged 6–13 to learn about teamwork, leadership, and peacebuilding, all while improving their football skills.

Project content

iACT’s Little Ripples and its Refugees United Soccer Academy (Academy) are the only programmes in eastern Chad that address gaps in preschool education and sport, providing refugee children aged 3–13 with comprehensive social-educational opportunities that will have a life-long impact. Little Ripples is an early childhood education programme that empowers refugees and communities affected by humanitarian crises to implement child-centred, quality, and comprehensive pre-primary education that supports the social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development of children aged 3–5. The Academy is a place for refugee girls and boys aged 6–13 to learn about teamwork, leadership, and peacebuilding, all while improving their football skills.

Objectives

  • Provide children with opportunities to heal from trauma and develop leadership skills through refugee-led early childhood education and sports programmes in all 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad.
  • Document the refugee-led process, particularly the expansion of programmes, and extract lessons learned to share with the humanitarian community, partners and supporters of refugee-led work, and sports and early childhood education leaders.

Project activities

  • Six days a week, children aged 3–13 will participate in Little Ripples and the Academy.
  • iACT’s refugee staff will lead the expansion of Little Ripples to one new camp (Amnabak) and the Academy to four new camps (Amnabak, Gaga, Oure Cassoni, and Treguine):A team of experienced staff members will travel to new programme
  • locations, engage the community leaders and members in dialogue, and train and hire coaches, teachers, cooks, and programme coordinators.Little Ripples teachers and Academy coaches will complete three training sessions over the course of 2021.
  • All new iACT teachers and coaches will participate in LEAD with EMPATHY, a leadership development and human rights curriculum that provides the tools and guidance for refugees to learn and practise community organising and programme management skills.
  • iACT staff will share insights and lessons learned from the entire refugee-led expansion process with UEFA and the humanitarian community.

Expected results

  • 80 coaches trained in iACT’s Academy curricula (50% male and 50% female).
  • 30 female teachers receive iACT’s Little Ripples teacher training.
  • 16 coaches hired (50% male and 50% female).
  • One camp coordinator hired.
  • Eight teachers hired.
  • 34 refugee staff trained in iACT’s LEAD with EMPATHY leadership development curriculum.
  • Three iACT refugee staff leading programme expansion in four camps.
  • 8,000 children enrolled in four new Academy programmes.
  • 180 children enrolled in four new Little Ripples preschool centres where they will receive nutritious daily meals.

Partner

Football Foundation Programme

Location and general information

Terminé
Location South Africa, Western Cap
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €81,000
Foundation funding €30,000
Project identifier 20201327
Partners Grootbos Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The Football Foundation, a subsidiary of the Grootbos Foundation, operates in the rural towns of Hawston, Zwelihle, Hermanus, Stanford, Gansbaai, and Elim in the Overberg region two hours from Cape Town. Here vulnerable children and their families live in underserved townships and overcrowded informal settlements in inadequate shack housing without electricity, digital access, running water or inside toilets. Families move here hoping to find work, but are faced with socio-economic problems such as poverty, high levels of school drop-out, gangs, marine poaching, drugs, alcohol abuse and gender-based violence. With an unemployment rate of over 50%, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, young people face a bleak future. Schools are struggling to serve these communities and children have little hope of breaking out of the cycle of poverty.

The Football Foundation programme aims to give these children role models, hope, healthy lifestyles and promising opportunities so that they can pursue the same dreams as more affluent children.

Project content

The Football Foundation programme uses community development sports programmes to give vulnerable children not just access to sport, but also to education, life skills, health and nutrition, life opportunities, gender equality, employability and conservation awareness, which paves the way to a better future and more dignified life.

8,461 vulnerable children attend free, daily, multisports coaching at community sites and schools. This gives them a safe place where they benefit from daily meals, role models in the form of their coaches, and digital access and learning support, which are vital during school closures due to the pandemic. The children receive education in female empowerment, conservation, nutrition, HIV and AIDS, employability, entrepreneurship and racial integration.

Objectives

The programme aims to uplift vulnerable children (aged 6 months to 18 years) through sports coaching, education and life skills to help them become thriving young adults. With a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular conservation, the programme is committed to conserving and restoring the natural biodiversity of the local Cape Floral Kingdom.

Project activities

  • Coaching in football, hockey, cross-country running, netball, track and field, canoeing, women’s rugby and water safety.
  • Motor skills sports at early childhood development centres and a special needs centre.
  • An HIV/AIDS programme in schools.
  • Afterschool programmes: female empowerment programme; Earth Rangers conservation programme; Food 4 Sport nutrition programme; and employability and entrepreneurship programme.
  • Learning support and free data.

Expected results

  • A minimum of 8,461 beneficiaries aged 6–18 years (49% female) of the sports programmes.
  • A minimum of 200 beneficiaries aged 0–6 years (50% female) of the motor skills programmes.
  • A minimum of 15 beneficiaries with special needs (aged 8–16 years) of the motor skills programmes.
  • 40 beneficiaries of the female empowerment programme.
  • 90 beneficiaries of the Earth Rangers programme.
  • 120 beneficiaries of the Food 4 Sport programme.
  • 120 beneficiaries of the employability and entrepreneurship programme.
  • A minimum of 8,461 beneficiaries of the daily meals scheme.
  • 100 beneficiaries of access to education support.

Partner

Fundlife Dream Academy

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Philippines
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €365,900
Foundation funding €126,740
Project identifier 20201501
Partners Fundlife International
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The FundLife Dream Academy aims to support highly vulnerable youth living in Cebu City, Philippines. One in four children in Cebu are trapped in poverty with little chance of climbing up the social ladder. Education is one of the most important bridges to a better life.

Children in Cebu often have no access to proper education or they opt to drop out. Access to education is further exacerbated by frequent natural disasters and, recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. More girls than boys are out of school at a ratio of 2:1. Girls mainly drop out for family reasons, including early marriage and being isolated by domestic roles; boys tend to drop out due to a lack of personal interest, a need to financially support their families, and an inability to understand the relevance of education to their future.

From socio-economic growth to improved political representation, the evidence of the benefits of educating and empowering girls is clear. According to UNICEF, educating girls saves millions of lives, as they are more likely to value education and invest in the next generation. When girls and women are able to make informed choices – impacting a range of issues from child malnutrition and mortality to better democratic processes – the overall social and emotional well-being of society is improved.

Project content

FundLife’s mission is to give every child equal opportunity in football and in life. The FundLife Dream Academy (FDA) expands the successful flagship Football for Life Champions Academy project to a new location, the highly urbanised and impoverished city of Cebu. The FDA protects, educates and provides opportunities to vulnerable children via a holistic sport-for-youth empowerment approach. Its child education programme combines engagement through football, access to digital learning and a community-run safe space (including a futsal court) in which the children can develop and acquire the tools they need for a better future.

Objectives

  • Reduce school dropout rates in beneficiary communities.
  • Provide self-development and employment opportunities for teenagers.
  • Increase the participation of girls in sports and improve their access to education, self-development and employment opportunities.

Project activities

  • Two weekly play-based sessions for football development and personal growth.
  • One weekly local community league game to foster a sense of belonging and commitment.
  • One weekly facilitated digital self-learning session.
  • Ongoing access to digital self-learning multimedia.
  • Construction of a safe space for play and learning (including a futsal court) lead and run by the community.

FROM TACLOBAN TO MOSCOW

Expected results

  • Two weekly play-based sessions for football development and personal growth.
  • One weekly local community league game to foster a sense of belonging and commitment.
  • One weekly facilitated digital self-learning session.
  • Ongoing access to digital self-learning multimedia.
  • Construction of a safe space for play and learning (including a futsal court) lead and run by the community.

Partner

Urban Football for Hopes and Dreams

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Canada, Montreal
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €86,000
Foundation funding €15,000
Project identifier 20201599
Partners Rêves Passion Montréal
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Almost 70% of Montreal’s population are immigrants. Dreams Passion Montreal works in areas where low-income immigrants are concentrated, offering team sports in partnership with local community centres. Football is used not only as a form of physical activity but also as a tool for integration, especially the integration of girls.

Dreams Passion Montreal helps Montreal’s community centres provide inclusive and equitable mixed football activities. When girls and women come into their own through sports, they can thrive in their private and professional lives and bring positive change to society.

Gender diversity is as much a fact of team sports as it is of daily life, so it is essential for young boys to be educated about tolerance and respect. It is equally important to build girls’ confidence to take part in mixed activities.

Project content

The aim of the project is to create an environment that enables the personal development of vulnerable young people whose parents cannot afford to enrol them in extracurricular activities. The goal is to help young people integrate into their community and educate boys about respecting and including girls.

Objectives

  • Use sports as a tool for integration and social development.
  • Promote equitable and equal participation in sports and combat all forms of discrimination, including gender-based discrimination.
  • Develop the self-esteem and self-confidence of girls through mixed sports.
  • Foster positive attitudes and behaviours in young people and improve their team working skills.

Project activities

  • Supporting community centres in their weekly mixed football activities, by providing a structure, coach, fair play-based methodology and equipment if needed.
  • Providing a series of No Girls Offside football workshops, usually combined with other activities (Zumba, basketball, singing), to promote leadership, self-confidence and a sense of belonging in girls.
  • Organising a yearly Urban Football Festival bringing together all the participants, their families and the project partners to celebrate everyone’s involvement.

Expected results

  • 100 girls will have taken part in activities that are 100% female or led by women by the end of 2021.
  • At least 150 children (minimum 25% girls) will have participated in mixed football activities at community centres.
  • More than 150 young people will have learned about group dynamics, including how to work as a team, respecting diversity and other people’s ideas, accepting criticism, making constructive comments based on mutual respect, peacefully. managing and resolving conflict, and following rules.
  • More than 150 young people will have adopted positive attitudes and behaviours, including honesty, integrity and working together.

Partner

Senior Leaders Programme

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location USA, Philadelphia
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €235,107
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20201322
Partners Starfinder Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Philadelphia’s poverty rate is the highest among the US’s largest cities. Nearly 40% of the city’s youth live below the poverty line and face barriers to success: under-resourced schools, limited access to healthy foods, a lack of safe places to play, neighbourhoods with high rates of drug use and gang activity, exposure to violence, and high rates of trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Only one in five gets the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity daily, and one in five gets none at all.

Project content

The intensive Senior Leaders after-school programme combines football with health and fitness, academic support, and leadership training to help low-income and immigrant youth achieve success on and off the field. A positive, intentional culture honours youth voice and promotes accountability. The teens learn to apply mental toughness and lessons from the field to other parts of their lives. 99% graduated high school, and 91% continued to university, far outperforming their peers (69% and 55%).

Objectives

Disadvantaged youth gain:

  • skills, confidence and resilience to overcome challenges and achieve their goals
  • long-term good health and physical fitness by establishing healthy lifestyles
  • social and emotional well-being through healthy, positive connections
  • post-secondary success
  • a future as resilient, empathetic adults and engaged, productive citizens

Project activities

The intensive after-school programme for 100-120 low-income teens requires them to attend two-hour sessions three days per week from November to March. They participate in football, mentoring, leadership, and fitness training. At the weekends they take part in university visits, post-secondary and professionalism workshops, community service projects, leagues, open play, tournaments and social events. Activities then continue from April to August, keeping the teens involved throughout the year.

Expected results

  • 100% of the participants will increase their engagement in physical activity and 100% will increase their knowledge and practice of healthy habits and behaviours.
  • 100% will learn and practice key life/social-emotional skills to support long-term success and 100% will be matched with a mentor.
  • 100% will graduate from high school and 95% will attain post-secondary education or training.

Partner

Football4Good

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Thailand, Chiang Mai
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €29,914
Foundation funding €29,914
Project identifier 20200779
Partners Baan Dek Foundation (BDF)
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Tens of thousands of migrant children live in construction site camps throughout Thailand. They live in slum-like conditions and face difficulties accessing healthcare and education. In addition, they have few opportunities to engage and connect with their peers, and the lockdown during the COVID‑19 pandemic has left them even more isolated. Baan Dek Foundation (BDF) supports over 2,000 of these children each year.

Project content

The Football4Good (F4G) project delivers sports education to children living in construction site camps, reaching 600+ children per year. Through access to sport and youth empowerment activities, the project provides positive social opportunities as well as physical and mental benefits. It also promotes gender equality and integration by teaching life skills, respect, and sportsmanship.

Objectives

  • Access to sport: F4G provides football sessions and matches, sports equipment, and improvements to community spaces.
  • Youth empowerment: Young people are trained as Youth Peer Educators (YPEs), equipping them to lead football sessions and act as role models.
  • Social and life skills: F4G provides an inclusive avenue for children to participate in community life and teaches them life skills.
  • Gender equality: F4G promotes gender equality in sport by eliminating barriers and preventing discrimination.

Project activities

  • Monthly after-school football sessions in priority construction site camp communities.
  • Weekly after-school football sessions in schools and a government institution.
  • Quarterly inter-community football matches.
  • Four-day youth leadership training for YPEs.
  • Four-day refresher leadership training for YPEs.
  • Monthly YPE meetings with BDF staff in the communities.
  • YPEs attend a professional football match with BDF staff.
  • Improvements to community sports spaces.
  • Donations of sports equipment to communities.

Expected results

  • Number of F4G sessions delivered – 120+
  • Number of F4G sessions in communities – 50
  • Number of F4G sessions at schools – 70+
  • Number of children attending F4G sessions/matches – 500+
  • Number of girls attending F4G sessions – 200+
  • Number of communities where sports facilities will be improved – 5
  • Number of children benefiting from improved facilities – 300+
  • Number of YPEs receiving training – 40+
  • Number of YPE meetings in communities – 10+
  • Number of inter-community matches – 4

Partner

Just Play

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Pacific Islands
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €1,000,000
Foundation funding €200,000
Project identifier 20200701
Partners Ocean Football Confederation (OFC)
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

The Pacific region is home to half a million children spread over 17.2 million square kilometres of ocean. These children face significant challenges as they navigate their way through daily life.

Obesity and diabetes are on the rise. Only 18% of children in Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu attend regular physical education classes, and fewer than 20% play for 60 minutes or more a day. More than 25% of children are overweight or obese at 13 years of age.

Children with disabilities experience discrimination, exclusion and social barriers; and girls are marginalised and face inequalities in education, decision-making processes and access to health services.

Children are exposed to high levels of violence at home and at school and one in four live below the poverty line. More than 40% miss school and up to 30% of those aged 15–24 are illiterate.

Furthermore, the region is prone to natural disasters, with children one of the most severely affected groups.

Through structured sport-for-development interventions, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) seeks to enhance national capacities to tackle the issues affecting children in the Pacific region, particularly non-communicable diseases, child protection, gender and social inequality, and humanitarian response.

Project content

As the most popular global sport, football has the power to influence the perceptions, behaviours and actions of children and their communities. Whether it is a training session, fun activity, kick-about or competition, children and teenagers are forced to make hundreds of important decisions, and with no two drills, kick-abouts or matches ever the same, they are given a variety of scenarios and contexts to learn from.

The OFC capitalises on this with a learning through sport approach to programme development recognised for creating low-cost, high-impact tools to achieve global development priorities. The Just Play programme promotes regular physical activity and harnesses its power to impact issues such as nutrition, disability and social inclusion to bring about positive social behaviour change. By integrating social messages into its sessions – for example, the importance of eating fruit and vegetables, the programme works to reduce regional vulnerabilities to endemic social issues.

Objectives

  • Build stronger, healthier communities and address the social issues affecting young people in the Pacific region.
  • Provide a platform through which to enhance positive behaviour, build confidence and resilience, develop fundamental life skills and enable informed decision-making in children and teenagers.
  • Empower children and teenagers to advocate for change and create role models to encourage active civic engagement.
  • Empower and engage girls, broaden their opportunities, and improve their access to football and to management and leadership pathways within football.

Project activities

The Just Play programme currently has four streams: Just Play 6–12 years, Just Play 13–18 years, Just Play grassroots and Just Play emergency.It provides children and teenagers with access to quality sports activities, educational platforms, advocacy campaigns, public dialogue, and the knowledge and skills necessary to make consistent, long-term lifestyle choices that promote health and wellness, gender equality, social inclusion and child protection.

 Just Play also supports the upskilling of teachers and community volunteers to enable them to deliver programme activities. It develops partnerships with inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations to expand and enhance the delivery of football for development programmes.

Expected results

Since 2009:

  • 317,004 children and teenagers have taken part in the Just Play programme across the Pacific region
  • 7,198 teachers and community volunteers have been trained to deliver the programme
  • 17,390 children and teenagers have taken part in Just Play emergency programme festivals

After participating in Just Play:

  • 82% of children chose to drink water instead of soda (compared to 52% previously)
  • 72% of boys said they enjoyed playing football with girls (53% previously) and 85% of children said they acknowledged and celebrated differences (65% previously)
  • 59% of children said they felt safe in the wake of a natural disaster (24% previously)
  • 54% of teenagers said they knew how to make SMART goals
  • 98% of teenage boys saw their coach as a positive role model
  • 71% of teenagers said they had someone to talk to if they had a problem or needed help and 93% said they knew what to do if they or someone they knew was being bullied

Partner

The Game, The Life !

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location South-Africa, Pretoria
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €62,248
Foundation funding €15,000
Project identifier 20200921
Partners Médecins du Monde
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Personal development

Context

The Mamelodi township, northeast of Pretoria, is one of the poorest communities in South Africa. The level of education is low and opportunities for supervised learning outside the classroom are often non-existent. Physical education was taken off the national curriculum in 1994 and it is a subject easily neglected in townships lacking playgrounds and sports fields. Children often hang out unsupervised on the streets where they are exposed to numerous risks, such as violence, drugs, and early and unprotected sex, further damaging their already fragile lives and preventing them from building a future.

Project content

Bophelo Ke Kgwele (The Game, the Life!) was launched in 2011 by the Swiss NGO IMBEWU, in partnership with the South African association Altus Sport and the basketball player Thabo Sefolosha. The project promotes children’s learning and holistic development through extracurricular sports, educational and recreational activities. These activities are led by young adults from within the local community and consist of academic support classes, summer camps, tournaments and life skills sessions.

Objectives

The project improves the participants’ physical and mental well-being, as well as raising their level of education. By building partnerships, Altus Sport becomes more sustainable and autonomous.

Project activities

  • Sports activities every day after school, on some weekends and during the holidays.
  • Fun life skills sessions covering social issues, health and prevention, rights and responsibilities, crime, gender equality, drugs and sex.
  • After-school English reading and writing support for children aged 6–8.
  • Daily distribution of fruit to all the beneficiaries to address the problem of malnutrition.
  • Maintenance of sports facilities and provision of water and sanitation facilities.
  • Training and knowledge-sharing workshops every month for the young coaches.

Expected results

  • Trust will be established between the young people and the coaches.
  • Coaches will develop professional, personal and social skills; each coach will participate in at least 80% of the workshops each year; and at least one coach will find employment each year.
  • The beneficiaries’ self-esteem and self-confidence will increase by 75% each year.
  • English reading and comprehension levels will be improved by 50% each year and children needing extra academic support will attend at least one reading support class per week.
  • Each child will attend at least one sports lesson per week and over the year they will learn the rules of the game and develop their skills in at least six sports.
  • The nutritional element will remain part of the project and the physical fitness of the beneficiaries will be improved by 80% each year.
  • Communication with all partners will continue; the municipality of Tshwane will continue to support the project; and networking will attract new sponsors and partners.
  • Manuals will be regularly updated and tests at the beginning and end of each year will provide accurate and relevant quantitative and qualitative data.

Partner

Future Leaders of Kalebuka

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Democratic Republic of Congo, Kalebuka
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €72,000
Foundation funding €35,000
Project identifier 20201055
Partners Georges Malaika Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Despite being one of the most resource rich countries in the world, the Democratic Republic of the Congo faces challenges related to poverty, education and access to resources. Kalebuka, where Malaika operates, has one of the lowest literacy rates in the country. The lack of education and opportunity needs to be addressed in order for the community to thrive. Malaika works with community members to provide education, access to sports and sports for social development. Malaika’s programmes equip the young people of Kalebuka to become the future leaders of their communities. Youth who are educated, confident, and respected will become adults who change their community, their country and the world.

Project content

By providing access to formal education, sports and health programmes, Malaika is helping to change a community in the DRC. The Kalebuka Football for Hope Centre provides young people with free access to literacy, IT, English, health and sports. The Sports for Development programme addresses topics such as conflict management, COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and communicable disease prevention, leadership skills, reproductive health and children’s rights.

Objectives

  • Develop leadership and life skills in Kalebuka’s youth to enable them to access their potential and empower themselves and their community.
  • Improve the young people’s physical and mental health by providing health education and encouraging them to prioritise themselves and their health.
  • Improve public health by disseminating health information and disease prevention tools and distributing hygiene supplies.
  • Improve overall life outcomes.
  • Foster community cohesion and respect.
  • Progress gender equality.

Project activities

  • Implementing games and outreach sessions through sports for social development.
  • Hosting workshops on children’s rights, gender equality, conflict and violence prevention, hygiene and health.
  • Holding daily classes for out-of-school youth in literacy, English, IT and mathematics.
  • Hosting tournaments to raise awareness across communities.
  • Hiring and managing coaching staff.
  • Training staff in health outreach and social development techniques.
  • Repairing and maintaining football pitches and community centre facilities.

Expected results

  • More peer leaders and coaches (up from 12 to 17) via leadership training programmes.
  • More young people (up from 65 to 80) attending health-based sports sessions, giving them a safe space to discuss health topics.
  • More young people (up from 90 to 115) attending life outcome training sessions designed to positively change youth mentality in regard to conflict resolution, drug and alcohol use and domestic violence.

Partner