Projects Archive - Page 24 of 28

Inclusive sport for development in Bangladesh

Location and general information

Closed

Location Bangladesh

Start date 10/01/2018

End date 09/30/2020

Cost of the project €117,450

Foundation funding €117,450

Project identifier ASI - 2018001

Partners Handicap International, Mymensingh Disabled People’s Organisation (Protibondhi Community Centre) and Tangail Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO)

Categories

Children with disabilities -

Personal development

Context

In 2007, the government of Bangladesh ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which promotes the rights to play and education of children with disabilities. However, a majority of children with disabilities remain out of primary education – more than 90%, according to a UNICEF study. This leads to children with disabilities being denied their basic rights, including access to education, as well as to sport and leisure activities. The situation is worse for girls, both with and without disabilities, in this patriarchal society where they are expected to conform to gender roles set out by the family and society in general.

Additionally, the poor capacity of local schools and clubs to respond to the needs of children with disabilities contributes to delayed physical and psychosocial development, low confidence, as well as social exclusion. Moreover, girls are often subject to physical and sexual abuse, and exploitation, which further lowers their self-esteem.

Project content

This project aims to contribute to the educational and social inclusion of children with and without disabilities.

School-based and child-led inclusive sports and leisure activities will be a great opportunity for boys and girls with and without disabilities to explore their potential, interact with each other in a safe environment and challenge social norms.

Parents, caregivers and teachers will help to create a better environment through sports clubs for children with disabilities, in particular girls, to promote their physical and psychosocial well-being.

A strong link will be established between the DPOs and the government sports department. The involvement of the school management committees and parental participation will contribute to the sustainability of the activities.

Objectives

Improve the participation and education of boys and girls with disabilities in inclusive sports in Bangladesh;
Give children with disabilities increased functional autonomy and access to inclusive sports and leisure activities, and to enable them to play a role in their own protection;
Better equip DPOs, schools and children’s clubs to promote inclusive sports and leisure activities, and to promote inclusion in education;
Reduce stigmatisation and discrimination against children with disabilities, thereby encouraging increased social participation in a protective community.

The project aims to increase access to safe accommodation and social care in Ioannina and Thessaloníki by expanding its existing arrangements to make 400 beds available in northern Greece. The beneficiaries in Ioannina will have access to a large community centre, which will be the venue for cooking events, language classes, Greek film nights, discussion groups, arts and craft events and child-friendly spaces.

In this way, Terre des Hommes will be supporting vulnerable children with caregivers by providing them with accommodation, and giving older unaccompanied minors (males aged 16–17) somewhere where they can live independently.

Furthermore, the project will focus on psychological support for refugee children, young people and their parents by using games, structured creative work, informal learning, theatre, sport, music, reading and any other activities that will improve self-esteem, trust, cooperation, well-being, safety and life skills.

Expected results

800 children, including 400 with disabilities (200 girls), participating in inclusive sports and leisure activities, and education
400 caregivers trained in appropriate caregiving for children with disabilities
30 mainstream schoolteachers trained to support schoolchildren with disabilities
20 sports coaches trained to adapt and facilitate inclusive sport
2 DPOs trained to promote inclusion though inclusive sport

Partner

La Vie en Bleu

Location and general information

Ongoing

Location Switzerland

Start date 01/01/2018

End date 12/31/2020

Cost of the project €Eur 124,626

Foundation funding €Eur 124,626

Project identifier EUR 2018421

Partners Autisme Genève

Categories

Children with disabilities

Context

Autism and its characteristics are still a mystery to many people. This lack of knowledge can lead to a certain fear, or even intolerance, of people who are different.

Parents of autistic children still have trouble placing them in mainstream education. Education is not straightforward for children with autism who, when they become adults, find it hard to get a job, largely because most employers are not sufficiently aware of the specific characteristics of autism, which can be disconcerting.

Autisme Genève therefore decided to launch an awareness campaign entitled ‘La Vie en Bleu’. Blue is the colour of autism and it colours the existence of everyone connected to this developmental disorder. By participating in and organising events, and disseminating information, Autisme Genève seeks to engage with the public, inviting people to discover what ‘life in blue’ is like. It is a life that Autisme Genève committee member Elvira David-Coppex describes as rich and amazing, but also exhausting and frustrating because of the way people view those who are different. Now ten years old, Autisme Genève has launched an initiative to raise awareness of autism among the general public and make them more welcoming of people with autism.

Project content

The association has developed three key messages to raise awareness of autism:

1st message: Make room for diversity!
2nd message: Autism is not an illness; it is a neurodevelopmental disorder
that can be hugely enriching if dealt with in the right way.
3rd message: With early diagnosis and support, autism can be successfully managed.

Objectives

Teach people about autism in order to change public perceptions
Encourage parents not to be afraid if they suspect their child has autism and help them access appropriate care as early as possible
Inform paediatricians and childcare professionals so they can identify autistic characteristics and ensure support is provided quickly

Project activities

Expected results

Since the start of 2018, Autisme Genève has released a video and an information brochure that are available to everyone.

In April, the focus was on sport with ‘La Vivicitta court en bleu pour l’autisme’, a mass-participation race involving hundreds of runners dressed in blue.

Autisme Genève was also chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the Match for Solidarity, organised by UEFA and the United Nations office in Geneva.

In May, a stand at the Geneva marathon enabled the association to reach out to thousands of people.

On 9 June 2018, the campaign was highlighted at the start of the Bol d’Or, when three boats sailed with the words ‘je navigue en bleu pour l’autisme’ (I’m sailing in blue for autism) on their sail.

The publicity spot for the ‘La Vie en Bleu’ campaign was shown at every screening during the Cinétransat festival. A special evening was also organised, for which all viewers were invited to wear blue.

On 14 September, Josef Schovanec, an autistic philosopher and writer, was welcomed by a crowd of 350 people at an autism conference in Geneva. The following day, the screening of Sophie Robert’s film ‘Enfants autistes: bienvenus à l’école’ was followed by a debate about inclusive schools, which was attended by more than 100 people.

On 13 October, a scientific conference attended by 400 delegates heard from leading experts in the TEACCH approach, which focuses on the specific needs of people with autism.

2018 will end with the Escalade race, when Autisme Genève supporters will come together to form a huge blue wave of runners and walkers.

Partner

Football for Inclusion – Everyone invited to the pitch!

Location and general information

Closed

Location Moreno, Argentina

Start date 08/10/2018

End date Ongoing

Cost of the project €155,476

Foundation funding €104,400

Project identifier SAM – 01xx

Partners Asociación Civil Andar

Categories

Access to Sport -

Children with disabilities -

Personal development

Context

People with disabilities have fewer opportunities to take part in football and integrate into mainstream society because they face various social or cultural barriers and discriminatory attitudes. This violates their human rights. In addition, they find it difficult to access public facilities, education, healthcare, employment and cultural and sports activities.

More than 1 billion people around the world live with some type of disability; at least 2 million of them live in Buenos Aires, the focus of Andar’s social intervention work.

Project content

Through a combination of work experience, sport, art, cultural and health-related activities, Andar promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities. Its Inclusive Football League uses the power of football to promote and foster the active participation of people with disabilities in society, while also addressing stigmatisation and prejudice.

With the foundation’s support, Andar will build the local community’s first inclusive and accessible sports facility for children with and without disabilities to aid their integration. In an effort to bring the best out of every individual and foster equal participation, it takes account of the physical, communicational and methodological aspects of accessibility.

Objectives

Andar’s programme aims to:

promote social change through football;
generate job opportunities;
promote autonomy and develop skills and abilities, empowering the people and communities involved; and
reveal the potential of people with disabilities.

Project activities

A total of 3,633 people currently participate in Andar programmes:

Therapeutic space: 59 people with disabilities
Inclusive social businesses: 86 people with disabilities employed per month
Inclusive Football League (LFI): 2,488 participants per year
Liga Buenos Aires: 920 participants per year
National League: 1,296 participants at national level
Inclusive Football School: 172 participants all year round, and their families
LatAm Festival: 100 participants from 10 countries across the region
Training and educational visits: 1,000 participants per year

Expected results

Opportunities to develop the potential of people with disabilities
Creation of facilities in which diversity is accepted and valued as part of the human condition
Information, tools and new training approaches that promote human rights
Access to sport for social change

Partner

Humanitarian crisis in Greece

Location and general information

Terminé

Location Thessaloníki and Ioannina (Greece)

Start date 04/01/2018

End date 12/31/2018

Cost of the project €1,474,495

Foundation funding €78,000

Project identifier EUR - 0148

Partners Terre des Hommes

Categories

Context

The bombing in Afrin and Ghouta in Syria, and the escalating violence in parts of Afghanistan is driving people to flee. According to the UNHCR, 21,887 people have crossed the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, one-third of whom have arrived on Greek islands. The number of new arrivals was 33% higher in the first four months of 2018 than during the same period in 2017. The emergency reception centres for refugees and migrants are overcrowded. At the same time, national organisations and NGOs are forced to close shelters and programmes for the youngest of those affected by war, conflict, migration and displacement because of administrative bottlenecks. Homelessness among asylum seekers has become an issue because of inadequate procedures which do not guarantee pre-registration.

In 2017, Terre des Hommes provided safe accommodation for 361 vulnerable families and young people. It currently manages 19 apartments in Ioannina. As part of the same protection package, Terre des Hommes has provided legal counselling and representation to over 1,250 refugees and migrants, and mental health and psychological services to more than 1,500. In addition, access to medical services has been ensured in 70% of all cases.

Project content

Terre des Hommes will continue its mission of supporting Greek authorities and civil society by assisting with the emergency reception of refugees and migrants, supporting their effective integration and helping to build integrated and sustainable child protection systems.

The accommodation programme run for nine months, from April to December 2018, and will be implemented in Thessaloníki and Ioannina.

Objectives

To expand the existing accommodation programme.
To provide the bare minimum of accommodation and cash.
To guarantee a range of protection services, including daily social work, protection activities, legal counselling and interpreting.
To ensure children have access to adequate child protection services.

Project activities

Expected results

Terre des Hommes is the only remaining international child-focused NGO in northern Greece. The housing programme is essential to ensure urgent action to protect migrant children, prevent child exploitation and provide humanitarian aid to children and their families.

Partner

Field in a Box – Rio Doce, Brazil

Location and general information

CONTEXT

Following the successful establishment of Field in a Box pitches in Madrid, Mragowo (in north-eastern Poland) and Cape Town, the UEFA Foundation for Children and FedEx are working together on the construction of a new pitch in Rio Doce, on the outskirts of Recife. The global not-for-profit network streetfootballworld has helped to identify a suitable location for the pitch and chosen local charity love.fútbol to maintain the pitch and ensure its sustainable use.

PROJECT CONTENT

The UEFA Foundation for Children has been running its Field in a Box project since 2016 with the aim of providing enclosed, fully functional artificial football pitches to impoverished communities. These pitches are environmentally sustainable and quick to install.

OBJECTIVES

love.fútbol is a global initiative dedicated to giving people access to football where communities lack safe and inclusive spaces for sport. Since its inception in 2006, the organisation has encouraged and taught communities to design, plan, build, manage and ultimately redefine football pitches as community assets and platforms for sustainable social change. In a participatory process, love.fútbol empowers communities to build a football pitch, providing guidance, finance and raw materials and mobilising local resources, while placing ownership of the entire process in the hands of the community in order to ensure the sustainability of the project.
The construction of this pitch in Rio Doce – where almost 60% of the population live below the poverty line, with incomes averaging less than US$100 a month – will give local children and young people a safe place to play and access to various development opportunities. love.fútbol’s local partner, Pazear, will use the pitch as a platform for its football activities, using sport to foster peace-building, gender equality and social transformation.

RESULTS TO DATE AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Training sessions will take place using the football3 method.
Concepts and studies will be developed with a view to promoting the continued use of football as a vehicle for peace-building, gender equality and social integration.
Over the next year, hundreds of participants are expected to take part in football-related programmes implemented on the new pitch.
In addition to weekly football sessions, the pitch will also provide a platform for weekly educational and monthly cultural activities.

PARTNERS

Field in a Box – Pirapora do Bom Jesus, Brazil

Situation géographique et informations générales

Context

Konami Holdings Corporation – a Japanese digital entertainment company and a UEFA Champions League sponsor – was willing to work with the UEFA Foundation for Children and take the Field in a Box concept to Brazil. The global not-for-profit network streetfootballworld helped Konami to identify a suitable location for its pitch – in Pirapora do Bom Jesus, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo – and chose local charity Fundação EPROCAD to maintain the pitch and ensure its sustainable use.

Project content

Objectives

This project aims to improve the lives of young people and breathe new life into disadvantaged communities. By providing opportunities to play football, the foundation seeks to improve children’s health and support their personal development, while teaching them football’s core values (respect, team spirit, etc.).
Fundação EPROCAD is based in Santana de Parnaiba – a suburb of Sao Paulo – and uses sport, education and culture to help children, adolescents and their families to integrate into society. Its work is aimed primarily at children and young people from poor families, providing activities that contribute to social development. Through its projects, the charity gives participants access to sporting, educational and cultural activities that can help to improve their quality of life. It also offers targeted support in specific instances, as well as guidance and referrals for specialist care where necessary.
Pirapora do Bom Jesus is one of the poorest areas of the country, with 27.8% of the population living on incomes totalling less than half of the minimum wage. Heads of households have an average age of 44, with 17.4% under the age of 30. With no access to basic services such as health and education, life there is a struggle.

Results to date and expected outcomes

This newly constructed pitch is the only place in the area where football can really be played.
Fundação EPROCAD will use the pitch to implement football-based programmes, as well as encouraging local people to make use of these new facilities.
Located next to a local day care centre, the pitch is ideal for physical education classes and recreational activities.
It is expected that about 2,000 children and young people from the local community will benefit from this initiative.

Partners

Football Film Festival

Situation géographique et informations générales

Context

The Foundation of Polish Soccer is founded Polish Football Association. The foundation’s aim is to promote and develop football in Poland, to take action to develop and raise the level amateur football, and to support the activities of the Polish Football Association.

In 2017, Foundation of Polish Soccer initiated the first edition of Football Film Festival in Cracow in connection with UEFA EURO Under-21. This festival had the aim to promote football culture by seemingly football and film. This innovative concept was very successful and an innovative way to communicate with younger generations who had free access to the event.

The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) showed clearly that kids from the poorest social group in Poland are in need of support to help them out of poverty giving them options and perspectives for personal development.

The Foundation of Polish Soccer wants to use the social and educational dimension of the Festival Film Festival by allocating a special free ticket pool for children and orphanages.

Project content

The football film festival was held in Warsaw from 25 to 26 May 2018.

The purpose is to promote sport and film culture especially among children and young people.

This year, the festival screened the most important documentaries of recent months, reflecting on the modern football world – its issues, absurdities and challenges, along with film portraits of football legends.

The festival had three sections:

the main section included full-length documentaries produced after 1 January 2017
the Krótka Piłka short-film section included both professional and amateur works
the retro section looked back on important, yet forgotten films with a football theme, and we screened the best documentary along with feature films about football produced before 2016

The young participants had the opportunity to meet filmmakers, athletes and journalists.

On the sports side, a period was reserved exclusively for children to participate in practical activities on the playing field to promote physical and mental development.

Activities included:

film screenings dedicated exclusively to children – free entry;
zone of football activity at the cinema – trainings with trainers, football players from youth clubs
meetings with footballers and coaches,
distribution of football equipment
meetings with filmmakers, actors, publishers
exhibition of football posters

The novelty of the second edition of the Festival was to give the opportunity to youngsters to submit their own film to the festival organiser.

Objectives

With the support of the ministry of national education, the objective is to involve pupils from 459 primary schools, high schools and technical schools.
Support local communities and children from orphanages
Give access to football and culture to children in the poorest social groups and give them a new perspective of personal development and empowerment

Expected results

Attendance of 2,800 children aged 7-16 from schools and orphanages for free film screenings and football classes
Promote and develop football among children in need so that they practise sport for their physical and mental well-being, to gain self-confidence and new perspectives and believe in a better future
Promote and develop grassroots football in Poland

Partner

Refugee Life Skills and Employment Training Soccer Programme Atlanta

Location and general information

Context

Commonly known as ‘Ellis Island of the South’ or ‘the most diverse square mile in America’, the small southern US town of Clarkston has welcomed 40,000 refugees over a period of more than 25 years. Whereas in the past they tended to come from Bhutan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Liberia and Vietnam, most current refugees are Syrian or Congolese. Whatever the country of origin, migrating to another country is often a difficult process, notably on account of cultural and linguistic differences. Sport, however, is a universal language that can act as a bridge between different communities: in our case, football provides the scenario for youth to both adapt and become part of the local community fiber. It also gives people an opportunity to integrate: having fun and making new friends at the same time. Nevertheless, the high prices charged by sports clubs, the high level of poverty and the lack of sports facilities in Clarkston are hindering the personal development and social integration of child refugees. The anti-immigration policies directed at Syrian refugees in recent years in the state of Georgia are exacerbating the problem, resulting in a lack of investment in sport and health in refugee communities.

Project content

Soccer in the Streets is a sport for development organisation that supports inner city children and young people living in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Our programs combine football sessions and youth development activities to create positive social change for underserved children. It gives them the chance to play football regardless of their ethnic origin, socio-economic status or religion. By adopting a holistic approach, the project is not limited to football on the pitch. It goes further than that, in particular by enabling personal development and education, with participants taking part in small-group sessions, hands-on activities or youth leadership councils. The project provides out-of-school activities that combine football with basic life skills. Older children are also invited to take part in workshops as part of the ‘Life Works’ programme. These sessions prepare teenage refugees for the world of work by helping them acquire employability skills. The project also plans to broaden its activities to include and have a positive impact on girls by helping them to boost their self-confidence and ensure their rights are respected.

Objectives

To facilitate the integration of young refugees and their families living in Clarkston
To promote a healthy lifestyle among children in precarious situations
To have a positive impact on the town of Clarkston by overcoming prejudice towards refugees
To increase the employability of young refugees living in Clarkston
To increase the participation of girls in the project’s activities
To provide opportunities so program participants can broaden their horizon by seeking to enter higher education institutions (Universities, Technical Colleges)
To develop community leaders
To connect youth with appropriate partners providing key services

Expected results

To work with a total of 200 youth, including 80 girls
To graduate 20 participants from our employability program
To train/certify 10 coaches or 20 referees from refugee communities and provide them with an income

Partner

Football for Development after-school programme

Location and general information

Context

Cambodia has a population of just over 15.2 million, more than one-third of whom are below the age of 18 (UNICEF; 2012 data), and 17.7% live below the poverty line (World Bank; 2012 data). In the city of Battambang, where average earnings are less than $0.50 a day, the situation is even worse. This results in large numbers of children leaving school early in order to try to earn a living. The Cambodian school system does not provide for any kind of physical education, so many of those children living in poverty are also deprived of the benefits of sport.

Project content

The SALT Academy’s Football for Development project seeks to use football to effect social change – both in Battambang and beyond. The project’s organisers run workshops teaching sport and key life skills to pupils at state primary schools in the city and the surrounding area, seeking to turn those children into active citizens and leaders within their respective communities. The football3* methodology forms an integral part of this project, being used to promote values such as respect, integration and solidarity.

* Football3 methodology is used by the streetfootballworld network. It harnesses the educational potential of street football by ensuring that dialogue and fair play are integral to the game. Its overall objective is to promote life skills and empower young people to become leaders. The emphasis is on resolving conflict through dialogue.

Expected results

The project’s organisers will run educational programmes teaching key life skills, which will cover 12 different subjects, and a total of 60 activities will be organised in parallel. Football activities and the football3 methodology, which lie at the very heart of this project, will be used to promote its values. The training of coaches will allow the project’s objectives to be achieved in other schools in due course.

Partners

Inclusion of children with disabilities in Bolivia

Location and general information

Context

In the United Nations Development Programme’s most recent Human Development Report, Bolivia was ranked 118th out of 188 countries, making it one of the least developed countries in South America. With a population of 1.8 million, Cochabamba is one of the most populous of Bolivia’s nine departments. This project is being carried out in Sacaba, Cochabamba’s second city in Cochabamba Department, where 36,3% (statistics from Instituta Nacional de Estadistica) censosbolivia)of the population live below the poverty line and many persons with disabilities are unable to gain an education or access required specialist health care services.

Project content

The discrimination that children and youth with disabilities face in Sacaba represents a significant barrier to their personal and social development. Light for the World International organises workshops and fun sporting activities for those children in a bid to end their isolation by promoting an inclusive approach to education and changing perceptions of disability in Bolivia.

Objectives

Strengthen relations between children and youth with disabilities (beneficiaries) and their families
Build up the self-confidence of the beneficiaries
Foster the social inclusion of the beneficiaries
Contribute to mainstreaming disability inclusion in local networks and regulations of the municipal government
Improve access to health services for children and youth with disabilities
Promote inclusive education for children with disabilities
Train youth with disabilities to access the labour market
Empower children and youth with disabilities, as well as their families to stand up for their rights

Expected results

Organisation of fun sporting activities for children and their families at regular intervals during the year
Organisation of sporting activities such as athletics, swimming, basketball, football, handball, slalom and dancing two or three times a week
Training of sports teachers at the Simón Rodríguez Teacher Training College to foster the social integration of participating children
Organisation of annual competitions and tournaments for people with disabilities to change the negative perception of disability in Bolivia in cooperation with EIFODEC (Escuela de Integración y Formación Deportiva, Expresión Artistica y Entrenamiento Laboral/ School for Integration, sports training, artistic expression and vocational training)
Organisation of 40 visits to schools to foster communication between children with and without disabilities

Partners

Brave Hearts

Location and general information

Context

Jojug Marjanli is a village of Jabrayil district, one of the seven surrounding districts of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, located on the contact line with Armenian armed forces. Recently the village was liberated. After regaining de-facto jurisdiction over the village, the government of Azerbaijan immediately started rebuilding roads, schools and hospitals in order to create acceptable living conditions for everyone and to allow internally displaced people and refugees to return.

The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) is sensitive to charity causes and social responsibility projects are one of its main priorities. The association works closely with UNICEF on the promotion of healthy lifestyles, children’s rights and the eradication of violence against children, and also has a national disability football team.

Project content

As a universal game, football is an excellent way to provide internally displaced people and refugees with an enjoyable and unifying pastime.

The Brave Hearts project aims to improve the health and well-being of people living on or close to the border. Whether in a refugee or in a school camp, in the street or in the pitch, the project wants to give them the opportunity to play football anytime and anywhere.

Three-day football festival with monthly follow-up mini-tournaments in different refugee camps in Jojug Marjanli and nearby locations will involve the installation of mini-pitches, small-sided football games and other football activities, other games, face art, personal development workshops and training, a concert and the distribution of football kits and equipment. The festival will be open to the whole population and will brighten up the lives of adults and children, uniting and encouraging them to stay strong, continue achieving their goals and lead healthy livestyles in turbulent times. Afterwards, every three months, there will be a one-day long mini-tournament in Jojug Marjanli, until the end of the project.

«Brave Hearts» Football Festival

Partners

Empowering refugee and marginalised children in Lebanon and Jordan

Location and general information

Context

The number of Syrian refugees in Jordan is estimated to be about 1.4 million: 20% live in five camps, 80% in urban areas in northern provinces and around Amman. Two-thirds of all registered refugees in Jordan are children or teenagers.

Lebanon has the highest refugee-to-host population ratio in the world: over 1.1 million registered refugees for 6.2 million inhabitants. One-third of the total refugee population is 5–18 years old, making this largely a regional crisis affecting underage youngsters.

Challenges are numerous and complex both for refugees and for host communities.

Young refugees live in situations of high uncertainty and often suffer from past trauma.
Many refugee and displaced children have no access to school or even non-formal education programmes, due to their critical living situation, and they often lack the necessary skills to enter or remain in educational programmes. Those who do attend school often suffer from low motivation due to a lack of future prospects and psycho-social support from role models.
Despite the effort of governments to provide formal and non-formal learning opportunities, access to both remains scarce for young refugees, and especially for girls and young women.

streetfootballworld addresses these challenges using the innovative non-formal education methodology football3. Named after its ‘three halves’ – a pre-match discussion, football game, and post-match discussion – football3 incorporates key life lessons, such as dialogue, fair play and gender equality, into every match. As football3 is played without referees, players must learn how to resolve conflicts by means of dialogue and compromise.

The streetfootballworld methodology harnesses the universal potential of sport by ensuring dialogue, fair play and gender equality both on and off the pitch. football3 brings together young refugees with youngsters from Lebanese and Jordanian host communities and allows barriers such as language, religion and culture to be surmounted. Young refugees outside and on the margins of formal education structures acquire the skills (e.g. strengthened resilience, conflict-management skills) and life skills (leadership and communication skills, self-confidence, increased willingness to include others and respect for women and girls, a sense of responsibility and accountability) to cope with critical challenges, lead self-determined lives, integrate more easily into the host society, be physically and emotionally healthy, and create positive change in their communities. As a result, these youngsters are more likely to stay and enrol in school, or pursue formal and higher education.

Project content

In Jordan and Lebanon streetfootballworld and its project partners have successfully implemented a variety of targeted football programmes for refugees at local level with support from the German government and the UEFA Foundation for Children. Having created synergies with local grassroot structures, the next step is to extend good practice from the pilot projects to regional level to support and empower vulnerable children and teenagers whose lives are affected by war and the refugee crisis.

Now we intend to increase reach and impact by taking the proven approach to new underserved areas affected by the refugee crisis and in dire need of innovative programmes for children. Local grassroots sports organisations will be equipped with the necessary skills, social networks and safe spaces to work at regional level with improved organisational capacity to foster social cohesion in a fragmented society. The capacity-building elements sustainably increase access to sport, promoting dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and friendship between young refugees and host communities.

To ensure a sustainable impact, the project comprises the following five activities:

Capacity development: train volunteer youth leaders and coaches 18–22 years old to become role models in their community.
Trauma-relief training for multipliers: to improve the lives of youngsters in Jordan and Lebanon, local experts will be trained specifically in trauma relief.
Inclusive football3 sessions and festivals: with regular training sessions using football3 methodology tailored to each target group, boys and girls will develop life skills that include health, hygiene, personal development and awareness of their rights. During festivals, children, teenagers and their families are brought together, to involve the entire community and increase the reach of the project’s messages and engage more participants, in particular girls.
Regional dissemination of lessons learnt and best practices: bring together NGOs in other countries that are also using football to help children and teenagers with the intention of creating a community of practice to improve support and knowledge transfer.

Objectives

Improving the lives of Syrian, Jordanian and Lebanese children living in the project communities and taking part in the inclusive football3 and life-skill training programme
Amplified personal development and self-realisation for programme participants
Increased dialogue, social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities
Civil society structures (institutionalised inclusive sports activities) have been set up so that multipliers can offer weekly football and life-skill training for marginalised children. Multipliers are able to identify trauma, know how to cope with traumatised children and are able to instruct others. They act as role models and are able to inspire others.
All local partner organisations are empowered to consolidate and increase their capacities in the respective regions by increased sharing of knowledge of peace building and international understanding among local players and strengthened networks involving local project partners, governments, football associations and civil society.

Expected results

39 local multiplier courses held – multi-day workshops in Lebanon and Jordan
790 local multipliers trained – volunteer youth leaders and coaches aged between 18 and 22
9,300 regular inclusive football3 and life-skill sessions and 20 football3 festivals held
21,000 children took part in the weekly football3 training ( 60% refugees and 40% host community; 60% boys and 40% girls; ages 6–17) as well as another 6,400 children in festivals
Three regional seminars, 30 regional football3 experts trained.

Affiliated partners

Partner

Field in a box – Cape Town

Location and general information

Context

Following the successful installation of Field in a Box football pitches in Madrid, Spain and Mragowo, north-eastern Poland, the UEFA Foundation for Children decided to continue its work with FedEx, which has financed the construction of a new pitch in Cape Town, South Africa. The global not-for-profit network streetfootballworld helped to identify the location for the pitch and to select local charity Oasis FC to maintain the pitch and ensure its sustainable use and positive impact.

Project content

The UEFA Foundation for Children has been running the Field in a Box project since 2016, the aim being to provide an enclosed, fully functional artificial football pitch to communities in need. The system is environmentally sustainable and quick to install.

Objectives

By promoting this project, the UEFA Foundation for Children aims to improve the lives of young people and breathe new life into disadvantaged communities. By providing opportunities to play football, the foundation endeavours to promote children’s health and support their personal development, while instilling in them the values of football, such as respect and team spirit.

Founded in 2000 as a football club providing opportunities for young people living on the streets to play, Oasis has evolved into an organisation that creates development opportunities for its local communities. The Oasis football club consists of six junior teams, a women’s team and two senior teams, and coaches must ensure players participate in life skills sessions as they progress through the various divisions. The primary focus is on using the ‘football for good’ and football3 methodologies to discourage young people from anti-social behaviour and to improve their life skills.

The construction of the new pitch will enable more ‘football for good’ activities to be organised, namely football club training, football3 matches after school in the local community, training sessions for other local NGOs, friendly games played at night and an annual football tournament to raise awareness of HIV.

Expected results

Organising football training using the football3 method
Developing concepts and studies to promote the continued use of football as a medium for social integration
Maintaining and ensuring sustainable use of the pitch by generating income through the formation of a corporate league
Organising an annual football tournament to raise awareness of HIV
Over the next year 7,800 participants are expected, 800 of whom will be taking part in the ‘football for good’ programmes organised on the Field in a Box pitch

Partners

Football United Myanmar

Location and general information

Context

Kayin State is one of the most war-torn parts of Myanmar. Decades of conflict between government and ethnic Karen armed forces have deprived children and their families of essential services while compromising their security and well-being. Tens of thousands of parents have become migrant workers in Thailand, leaving their children behind and in greater danger of exploitation. This population lives with poor access to basic services, political and economic instability, high unemployment and low-income levels, leading to weak social networks and a relative lack of opportunity. Loss of trust, hope and confidence, post-traumatic stress disorder, and changes to social structures and livelihoods are the social challenges that currently need to be tackled.

Project content

Based on the evidence that engaging young people positively and giving them a stake in their societies during the transition from violent conflict is important for long-term peace and stability, the project for 2018–19 aims to maximise youth and community engagement. It also aims to strengthen existing local collaboration and partnership, maintain the project’s current momentum, transfer programme ownership to the local community and introduce social-enterprise approaches. The ultimate goal is to ensure the sustainability of the football-based social cohesion, grassroots peacebuilding and reconciliation project.

The Football United project is based on four key aspects:

Contact theory – If diverse groups engage equally, have a common goal and work together with the support of the authorities and without competition, relations will improve between the groups experiencing conflict, and prejudice towards other groups will be reduced.
Positive youth development approach – This refers to an intentional effort to provide opportunities for young people to enhance their interests, skills, and abilities, rather than trying to fix their problems weaknesses or shortcomings. The Football United project enables young people to test, explore and apply their development potential through football and related development work.
Conflict transformation framework and sport-for-peace ideology – Sport can help provide the framework for reconstruction and reconciliation after a conflict by promoting peaceful culture through sport’s social values, building community/youth networks, positive relationships between conflict-affected communities and strengthen their participation in grassroots sport.
Experiential learning methodology – Learning through reflection on doing. Football activities are specially prepared to be a source of reflection to learn more about peace, social cohesion and reconciliation.

Objectives

Weekly football-based grassroots peace-promotion activities and football-for-peace gala days
Open community football coaching courses for local volunteers in conflict-affected area
Inter-community football-for-peace gala days run by the community
Regional football-for-peace festivals run by Hpa-an university student volunteers
Advanced coaching courses for university student coaches to become coach trainers
Provide funds to set up a football-for-peace centre in the state capital, Hpa-an
Facilitate the social-enterprise mentoring process in collaboration with the British Council Myanmar and other partners in the community
Set up a football for development and peace forum in Hpa-an, targeting universities, youth organisations and CBOs working in youth development and peace-building to promote football, peace, work and the dissemination of the Football United model in other regions of Myanmar
Set up a football for peace centre with a playing field and multipurpose hall for community events, workshops and training

Expected results

Football United will mobilise the local community, the government and charity organisations to help set up the football for peace centre, which will be used not only for project activities but also for income-generating purposes and social-enterprise schemes.

Partners

Protection, education and reintegration of street children in Bangui and Brazzaville

Location and general information

Context

According to the 2016 United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report, the Republic of the Congo is ranked 135th out of 188 countries, while the Central African Republic is bottom of the list (2016). The humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic and the endemic poverty in the Republic of the Congo are affecting highly vulnerable young children, including those living on the streets of Bangui and Brazzaville. These children can end up sleeping rough for many reasons. Whether it is a result of a forced marriage, economic pressure or fear of a ‘child witch’, these children are demonised and left to look after themselves on a day-to-day basis.

Project Content

Triangle Génération Humanitaire is an international solidarity organisation that helps to fight poverty in the world. In Brazzaville and Bangui, it hopes to develop prevention tools aimed at protecting vulnerable children. To this end, mobile teams of social workers and nurses go out into the streets of the capital cities of the Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic on a daily basis. By offering them a listening ear and psychosocial and medical assistance, the multidisciplinary teams guide the children towards suitable support structures. They also organise sports, games and other leisure activities using sports equipment made available to the children.

Objectives

To provide psychological, social and medical assistance to street children in Brazzaville and Bangui
To promote the social reintegration of vulnerable children:
- by providing them with support and access to suitable services such as foster families or reception centres, which will all receive financial compensation
- by offering them education provided by specialist local institutions
- by offering them vocational training (in baking, weaving or repairing) provided by local instructors
To reunite broken families by providing support and mediation between children and their families
To help juvenile offenders in Brazzaville by offering them:
- sports activities to help them learn values such as discipline, respect and hard work in order to prepare them for their release from prison
- education sessions on high-risk activities such as prostitution, drug abuse and crime. These will be organised by the ‘Network of NGOs working with street children in the CAR’ (RFERC) and the ‘Network of NGOs working with children experiencing social disruption in the Republic of the Congo’ (REIPER)
To raise awareness of and educate politicians and the public sector concerning children’s issues
To help the project’s partners and child protection organisations, in particular by strengthening the organisational and operational capabilities of the RFERC and REIPER

Expected results

1,000 patrols carried out by mobile teams
Assistance given to 2,000 children
23 places in foster families and 20 places in reception centres offered every month
200 children placed in mainstream schools
100 children reunited with their families
550 visits to imprisoned minors
60 education sessions for imprisoned young people
A three-day seminar on the protection of vulnerable children in Brazzaville

Partners

Talent Group

Location and general information

Context

Self-esteem and self-confidence play a fundamental role in a child’s personal development. A healthy level of self-esteem will help a child to make and articulate choices in a composed and confident manner, while fostering creativity in his/her everyday life. Unfortunately, many children do not enjoy such advantages.

Project content and objectives

The Talent Group project – the brainchild of former Dutch international Ruud van Nistelrooy – revolves around children’s personal development, drawing on the former player’s personal experience in order to encourage children to fulfil their dreams. Van Nistelrooy explains that his success in seizing all of the various opportunities that led to his career in football was down to the continuous encouragement of all the people around him. This project seeks to pass on the baton by producing coaches who will encourage children to discover their talents and develop them with confidence and assurance. Talents may vary from sport to learning, drawing, dancing or making music.

Expected results

The project’s organisers are currently working with 60 primary school pupils between the ages of 9 and 12. They are also providing training to 80 coaches, and workshops (4 times a year) for teachers and other people working with children, in line with the philosophy of the Ruud van Nistelrooy Foundation.