Extension of the Unis Vers le Sport school in Mali

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Sala, Mali
Start date 03/01/2022
End date 03/31/2022
Cost of the project €56,800
Foundation funding €36,000
Project identifier 20210653
Partners Unis Vers le Sport
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

For many years, Mali has been shaken by economic and political instability that has left most of its population out of work and struggling to survive. Despite these difficult circumstances, the Unis Vers le Sport school has been able to function normally since it was founded with UNESCO’s support in Sala, 30km from Bamako, in 2008.

Most of the region’s inhabitants make their living from agriculture or diving for sand from the bed of the river Niger. As many families cannot afford to send their children to school, they often have to work in the fields or the river.

Project content

This year, the school aims to take in more children to give them an eduction and better future prospects. The project will build a new classroom, with space for 50 pupils, and recruit two extra primary-level teachers.

Objectives

  • Increase the school’s capacity.
  • Improve the conditions and the quality of the education.

Project activities

The Unis Vers le Sport school is accredited by the Mali ministry of education and applies the national curriculum.

The school is mixed and every day after classes, the pupils do a variety of sporting activities, under the supervision of the teachers, to improve their physical and mental well-being and help them to thrive.

Once they have finished school, the children can go on to learn a trade in the partner training centre in Bamako.

Expected results

  • 50 more girls and boys in school.
  • 2 extra teachers.
  • Better teaching conditions.

Partner

Mpira Fursa – primary school girls’ football

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Tanzanie
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €55,003
Foundation funding €55,003
Project identifier 2021968
Partners Karibu Tanzania Organization (KTO)
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

There are many talented Tanzanian girls who could become great football players, coaches, referees, and sports administrators. However, only a few of them get a chance to participate in football due to a lack of organisation and infrastructure to encourage them, along with cultural barriers and taboos that hold them back. Tanzanian society suffers from large gender disparities that restrict the accessibility of basic services for girls and women. In most cases, girls who play football are seen differently, and parents prevent their children from taking part.

The country has one of the highest rates of child marriage and has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates (MoEST, 2008; BEST, 2010). The Mpira Fursa programme provides a chance for girls to be trained and engaged in football, and ultimately keeping them in school.

 

Project content

Football has the potential to empower girls and provides opportunities for them to lead a healthier lifestyle. This programme promotes and develops women’s and girls’ football for gender equality and socio-economic empowerment, increases girls’ self-esteem and self-confidence, and creates quality, skilled female footballers from the grassroots level. Mpira Fursa contributes to our goal for all girls to finish school without dropping out, defying the misconception that they are weak or incapable.

Through women’s football, KTO leverages partnerships and engagement with a variety of audiences to teach everyone that gender-based violence and sextortion have no place on or off the field or indeed anywhere in our lives.

The Mpira Fursa programme has introduced football classes at 43 FDCs, comprising technical development, coach and referee training, sports management and life skills. As an extracurricular activity, it provides young women with the opportunity to continue with their studies while taking part in the football programme. A total of 43 women coaches have qualified with the African Football Confederation (CAF) D certificate, while 35 of them also trained as match commissioners. This makes a group of trainers and football coaches readily available for the primary school girls’ programme. The programme will be coordinated by the trained staff employed at the 43 FDCs in collaboration with the physical education teachers. The selected primary schools and teams will also be used as field experience for the FDCs’ female participants.

The programme will increase the proportion of girls playing football at various levels and provide a structure to encourage primary school girls to take part in football activities.

Objectives

  • Develop and empower girls to become skilled, confident football players with a good knowledge of football and economic opportunities.
  • Promote gender awareness and girls’ engagement.
  • Strengthen girls’ self-esteem, self-confidence and knowledge of their rights
  • Reduce school dropouts in primary schools.

Project activities

  • Conduct stakeholder familiarisation and programme review meetings.
  • Support Mpira Fursa coordinators and physical education teachers to promote gender awareness, sexual reproductive health and rights through leadership training.
  • Support the primary schools involved in the programme, with required football training and learning materials including football equipment (jerseys, footballs, cones, etc.)
  • Hold football games and tournaments for primary school girls’ teams
  • Boost capacity for the coordinating FDCs through coach training and football equipment.
  • Develop and print information, education and communication materials.
  • Engage the media to raise community awareness and programme visibility.

Expected results

  • 4,300 primary school girls play football in organised teams.
  • 172 primary school girls’ football teams set up.
  • 86 primary schools in 23 regions take part in the Mpira Fursa programme.
  • 43 coordinators and 86 PE teachers trained in women’s football and sexual and reproductive health.
  • Reduced number of girls dropping out of primary schools.
  • Primary school teams have all the necessary football equipment.
  • Girls in the programme demonstrate increased gender awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence and knowledge of their rights.

Partner

Future Leaders of Kalebuka

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Democratic Republic of Congo, Kalebuka
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €75,000
Foundation funding €35,000
Project identifier 20210250
Partners Fondation Georges Malaika
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Prior to Malaika, the people of Kalebuka had little access to education or community programmes. The literacy rate is one of the lowest in the country and many people living there have been displaced by conflict in other parts of the country. Gender inequality causes women and girls to be deprived of school and work, leaving them more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. For the people of Kalebuka to thrive, they need continued access to school, community programmes and opportunities.

Project content

The community centre provides free access to literacy, numeracy, IT, English, and health education as well as vocational training and sports programmes for adults and out-of-school youth. Our sports for social development programme engages young people in play and discussions on topics such as conflict resolution, leadership development, HIV/AIDS, gender equality, and children’s rights. The combination of these programmes provides participants with the foundation to become future leaders.

Objectives

We aim to make specific changes in attitudes and behaviours of community members.

Leadership and life skills

  • Equip young people with tools to empower themselves and their communities
  • Increase gender equality
  • Help shape the future leaders of Kalebuka, DRC

Health

  • Improve participants’ physical and mental health
  • Disseminate public health and hygiene information

Improved life outcomes

  • Teach young people about children’s rights
  • Equip young people with tools to empower themselves and their communities

 

Project activities

  • Select and mentor peer coaches
  • Run sport for social development games and activities
  • Host workshops about children’s rights, gender equality, COVID-19 and conflict resolution
  • Community outreach activities about diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, COVID-19 and sexually transmitted infections
  • Hold regional tournaments to raise awareness across communities
  • Classes on literacy, health, IT, numeracy, reproductive health, English and French
  • Hold focus groups and discussion groups for young people

Expected results

By providing youth with access to sport, education and health programmes we give them the tools to bring about positive change throughout their community. We expect to see a decrease in child abuse and increases in education, gender equality and improved conflict resolution. This provides young people with opportunities to empower themselves, by introducing them to their vast potential and giving them the tools to make the best use of it. They will become the leaders of their community and help it thrive.

  • Boost young people’s leadership skills through training programmes, increasing the number of peer leaders and coaches (Baseline: 12 / Target: 20).
  • Create a safe space to discuss health topics and increase the number of young people attending health-based sports sessions (Baseline: 85 / Target: 120).
  • Improve life outcomes by positively changing young people’s mentality with regard to conflict resolution, drug and alcohol use, domestic violence, etc.
  • **Increase the number of youth attending training sessions based on life outcomes (Baseline: 120 / Target: 145)

Partner

Learning to change

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Ghana
Start date 03/01/2022
End date 02/28/2023
Cost of the project €57,149
Foundation funding €18,387
Project identifier 20211184
Partners Play Soccer Ghana
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

The education system in Ghana is mainly theory, with little attention paid to practice. Many pupils are therefore unable to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Project content

This programme harnesses the unique appeal of football for community development by creating learning opportunities for children between the ages of 5 and 15 to improve their life skills, health and playing ability. Besides applying the football3 philosophy, the programme collects used plastic bags that are knitted into goal nets. The project will be run in 11 satellite communities in six regions for 12 months, reaching a total of 880 beneficiaries.

Objectives

Children will gain additional learning opportunities through ‘play for fun’ and ‘learn for life’ (PFFLFL) sessions to learn more about good health, develop life skills and apply the knowledge they acquire to real-world problem-solving.

The children will sort plastic bags used in their homes and schools which will then be knitted into goal nets.

The football3 philosophy will be used to teach fair play, equality and participation of girls in soccer.

Project activities

  • Coaches will be trained to use the PFFLFL curriculum to educate the children in life skills, health and football;
  • Beneficiaries will take part in weekly PFFLFL sessions;
  • Youngsters will be trained how to re-use plastic bags to produce goal nets and promote clean cities;
  • football3 matches will teach children about fair play and avoiding discrimination.

Expected results

  • 33 coaches will learn how to use football activities to promote learning;
  • 880 children in six regions throughout Ghana will benefit from PFFLFL activity sessions to improve their life skills, health and football;
  • 200 households will sort their plastic waste and plastic bags will be knitted into goal nets;
  • football3 matches will teach children about the need for inclusion, fair play and gender equality.

Partner

Protection and social reintegration for street children

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Burundi
Start date 01/22/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €143,200
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20210444
Partners Terre des Hommes
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

 

Over 5,000 children live in the streets of Bujumbura, including girls under the age of 15, physically and/or mentally disabled children and children with minority backgrounds who are all the more vulnerable because of their ethnic origin. There is only a very limited number of shelters for these children, which deprives them of a secure social environment with recreational activities. Bujumbura only has three shelters, run by GIRIYUJA ASBL, through which more than 3,000 street children pass each year.

Project content

The project will help street children to reintegrate into their communities through socio-educational activities featuring sport in general and football in particular, along with personalised support for individual children. The activities will enable these vulnerable children to develop their self-esteem and their trust in others. They will also be helped to develop plans for their future.

Objectives

  • Raise awareness of street children among the local community
  • Help street children to develop life projects so that they can reintegrate into their communities
  • Strengthen street children’s self-protection skills, psychosocial resilience and well-being through sport

Project activities

  • Organising tournaments for street children and others to strengthen social cohesion
  • Organising socio-educational activities based on sport and football in particular
  • Providing individual support so that the children can develop plans to help them get off the streets
  • Tracing street children’s families to encourage reunification
  • Providing a framework to enable the children to re-enter the school system
  • Creating an environment that encourages exchanges between the organisers and other child protection stakeholders to strengthen their working relationship
  • Referring children with specific needs to competent local partners

Expected results

  • Roughly 600 street children are provided with a socio-educational framework at the Football for Hope centre in Kabondo and the other centres in Buterere and Kanyosha, so that they can develop their self-protection skills
  • Roughly 180 street children are reintegrated into the community thanks to individual support and follow-up
  • Four meetings to strengthen the working relationship between the various child protection organisations to help provide the children with a safe environment

.

Partner

Positive climate action for the entire ‘sport for development’ sector

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Nairobi, Kenya
Start date 02/01/2022
End date 04/30/2023
Cost of the project €104,735
Foundation funding €66,060
Project identifier 20210472
Partners Coaches Across Continents (CAC)
Categories Access to Sport - Environmental protection - Personal development

Context

Climate Change is an existential threat and the number one social issue threatening every continent and culture. The UN’s IPCC report states that humanity is ‘unequivocally’ responsible for climate change. The positive news is that we can take action to reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the climate.

Project content

This initiative will be the first global effort to create a widespread, effective sport for development curriculum to educate individuals and organisations across the world about steps they can take to reduce their personal carbon footprint.

It will be developed by Coaches Across Continents (CAC) – a global leader in sport for development curriculum creation – and then piloted and implemented throughout Nairobi by sport for development climate action leader Green Kenya. Finally, the curriculum will be translated into seven major languages and shared freely and openly to allow individuals and organisations to educate their children, young leaders, coaches and communities.

This free resource will be available electronically and easily accessed through a smart phone anywhere in the world via a link or QR code. As another global first, through CAC’s partnership with Sport Session Planner, the curriculum will be animated and utilise video examples for each activity. This is a game changer in how football and technology can be used to address climate action education.

Objectives

  • Create and distribute a ten-game curriculum for the sport for development community to teach individuals worldwide how to reduce their own personal carbon footprint;
  • Translate, animate and create video clips for the curriculum;
  • Pilot the curriculum in Kenya;
  • Provide the curriculum free of charge via the Sport Session Planner platform to allow coaches, teachers and practitioners around the world to implement it;
  • Campaign the Kenyan ministry of education to implement the curriculum beyond the pilot as part of its national competency-based curriculum;
  • Actively publicise the availability of the curriculum through various networks.

Project activities

Step 1 (March–June 2022): Develop and animate a climate action curriculum based on UN ACT Now – ten steps that individuals can take to reduce their carbon footprint.

Step 2 (July–December 2022): Deliver the curriculum in four Nairobi schools and at weekend youth league training sessions in partnership with Green Kenya, which will report on the curriculum’s impact and create video recordings of the activities to upload to the platform.

Step 3 (January 2023): Translate the curriculum into a minimum of seven global languages: English, Swahili, Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

Step 4 (February–March 2023): Campaign the Kenyan government to include the curriculum in its national curriculum. Share the curriculum freely across East Africa and globally via the CAC network and other networks such as streetfootballworld, Think Beyond and sportanddev.org.

Expected results

It is expected that the curriculum will:

  • impact 1,000 Kenyan boys and girls, improving their climate action awareness and effecting behavioural change;
  • be adopted by local, regional and national ministries of education as part of their curriculums;
  • be publicised through the coachesacrosscontinents.org website and CAC’s internal platform, reaching organisations in 132 countries;
  • be widely downloaded, adopted and utilised by global sport for development organisations;
  • reach at least 2 million children in over 130 countries.

Partner

Social integration of street children through sport

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Ethiopia
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €98,320
Foundation funding €63,000
Project identifier 20210272
Partners Busajo NGO
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Busajo Campus is a social and educational project aimed at street children living in the Ethiopian city of Sodo and the surrounding rural areas. It is estimated that there are about 3,000 street children in Sodo.

The ultimate goal of Busajo Campus is to reintegrate street children into their families and society. The project focuses on helping the girls and boys to become more autonomous and self-sufficient by investing in their cultural, educational and professional growth – something which in turn favours the social and economic development of the wider community.

Busajo Campus promotes both vocational and psychological support as the best way to guarantee the children a better life of social integration and to fight the poverty in which they live, helping them to regain confidence in their future. Sport is also promoted as an educational activity that supports physical and emotional growth and a social activity that teaches the rules of coexistence and community.

Busajo Campus guides the children through a path of recovery that is initially physical and then psychological, emotional and attitudinal helping them become happy children now and agents of sustainable development in their country in the future. However, the current workshops are no longer sufficient for training needs and to support the economic sustainability of the Campus.

 

Project content

The support of the UEFA foundation will enable Busajo Campus to create two new workshops and enhance its professional courses to increase vocational training and job opportunities for participants.

The new workshops in tailoring/weaving and carpentry will allow the young people to learn indoors during the rainy season. Two new buildings will provide the space and machinery for them to improve their technical skills, giving them the opportunity to start their own businesses with minimal capital and to specialise in quality craftsmanship which is in high demand in Sodo.

The young people’s soft skills will be improved through educational sports activities including an ‘Olympic Games’ for children that will take place on the campus sports field.

Objectives

  • Increase the potential of the campus by expanding the workshops.
  • Enhance young people’s technical skills, in tailoring/weaving and carpentry, giving them an opportunity to start their own business and develop quality craftmanship, which is in high demand locally.
  • Increase the economic sustainability of the campus by enabling the sale of self-produced goods.
  • Increase young people’s soft skills through sports.

Project activities

  • Constructing the buildings for the new workshops.
  • Delivering four professional training courses (in bamboo carpentry, soap-making, bakery and tailoring/weaving).
  • Providing start-up support to help young people set up their own businesses upon completion of their training.
  • Holding ‘Olympic Games’ for children to promote equal opportunities and socialisation.
  • Coordination, monitoring and communication.

Expected results

  • Two new buildings which will improve the professional training offered by Busajo Campus and improve its economic sustainability.
  • Four professional training courses for 20 boys and girls aged 15–20.
  • Start-up assistance for four self-employed businesses for young people who have finished their training.
  • Informal educational sports activities for 60 young people on campus to promote equal opportunities for girls and boys and integration between children residing on the campus and the community.

Partner

Football in Rissani

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Morocco, Rissani
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €60,000
Foundation funding €30,000
Project identifier 20210570
Partners Association Enfants du Désert
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment

Context

The population of Rissani, a town in the Moroccan desert, has risen enormously over the past ten years; however, the town’s infrastructure has not kept pace. While there are some dynamic clubs that try to provide underprivileged youngsters with access to sport, the lack of funding and decent equipment means that they do not have the facilities they need. The Football in Rissani project was launched to overcome this issue and enable all youngsters, both girls and boys, to enjoy the advantages of sport.

Project content

The Football in Rissani project will build a dedicated sports area in two locations in the town, consisting of an enclosed football pitch, equipped changing rooms, toilets and running water. Playing equipment (balls, bibs, cones, etc.) will also also provided. The facilities will be built by a team of local builders that Enfants du Désert has been working with for 17 years.

Objectives

  • Give youngsters from underprivileged families access to sport.
  • Encourage boys and girls to mix while enabling girls to enjoy sport in a suitable, safe environment.
  • Provide extracurricular activities for young people.
  • Promote education through sport by exposing young people to values such as team spirit and tolerance while. promoting trust and self-confidence.
  • Support the activities of sports clubs.
  • Encourage socialisation among young people.

Project activities

  • Building infrastructure (pitches, changing rooms, toilets, enclosure).
  • Providing two local clubs with equipment.
  • Weekly training sessions in partnership with two local sports clubs.
  • Organising friendly tournaments and open days to encourage more youngsters to discover and take up sport.

Expected results

  • Reduced inequalities through extracurricular activities.
  • Reduction in inappropriate behaviour among teenagers due to their enthusiastic participation in the activities giving. them a sense of belonging and achievement.
  • More youngsters regularly taking part in local life and sport thanks to the new facilities.
  • More girls taking part in sport.

Partner

Improving the Psychosocial Wellbeing of Conflict-Affected Displaced Children

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Cabo Delgado, Mozambique
Start date 02/01/2021
End date 11/30/2021
Cost of the project €45,884
Foundation funding €43,884
Project identifier 20201286
Partners Street Child
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Personal development

Context

Northern Mozambique has suffered from conflict and insecurity since 2017. Deterioration in the security situation and an increase in attacks has coincided with several emergencies: cyclone Kenneth in 2019, severe flooding in early 2020 and the emergence of COVID-19 in March 2020. Currently, 335,000 people have been displaced by insecurity, with children making up 50%. During this time, children have suffered from a sustained loss of education and exposure to traumatic situations.

Project content

Sport will be used to address the psychosocial needs of children affected by conflict and emergencies, while helping displaced children integrate into their host communities. Street Child will help schools to understand the needs of pupils and facilitate support sessions for them as they return to school post displacement and COVID-19. Community sessions will also be delivered by trained facilitators to out-of-school children.

Objectives

  • Address the psychosocial needs of children who have been affected by conflict, displacement and emergency situations
  • Support retention of children in school through the provision of support services
  • Promote integration between displaced and host communities
  • Promote children’s rights and strengthen protection mechanisms in the wider community

Project activities

  • Delivery of psychosocial support sessions to in-school and out-of-school children, using recreational activities, including sport, to help them deal with trauma and build life skills
  • Providing training workshops for psychosocial support facilitators in the use of play-based activities as a tool for integration and development
  • Providing teacher and school council workshops on the delivery of psychosocial support in schools and creating inclusive environments
  • Holding community awareness-raising campaigns on children’s rights and protection services

Expected results

  • 6,000 children (3,000 girls and 3,000 boys) will receive psychosocial support and integration support through in-school and community-based activities
  • 90 school educational staff will receive training in psychosocial support to promote inclusive environments for all pupils
  • 12 local community facilitators will receive training on the delivery of play-based psychosocial support interventions
  • 6 communities will receive awareness-raising on children’s rights and child protection services

Partner

Lay’s RePlay

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location UK, South Africa, Brazil, Italy, USA, Mexico, Turkey and Egypt
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €tbc
Foundation funding €200,000
Project identifier 20200100
Partners Lay’s, Common Goal
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Sponsors

Context

Lay's RePlay – an innovative global initiative in partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children and streetfootballworld – aims to bring joy to communities around the world by transforming empty crisp packets into sustainable football pitches, leading to positive outcomes for people and the planet.

Eleven community mini pitches composed partially of reused empty crisp packets have been constructed in:

  • Tembisa, South Africa
  • Leicester, UK
  • São Paulo, Brazil
  • Turin, Italy
  • Iztapalapa, Mexico
  • Santa Ana, USA
  • Gaziantep, Turkey
  • Cairo, Egypt
  • Naples, Italy
  • Santa Marta, Colombia
  • Bilbao, Spain

 

Tapping into the global passion for football, these pitches will become sustainable hubs for

positive community transformation.

Project content

Lay’s RePlay provides artificial five-a-side pitches that are ideal for communities with limited access to spaces where they can enjoy the game and develop their skills.

It works with local partners to build spaces and programmes that bring people together and drive positive change for generations to come – it’s much more than just a pitch.

The project’s long-term educational sporting programmes harness the positive power of play and football to address social issues impacting local communities through their four key aims: creating a sense of belonging, increasing engagement, fostering safety, and granting access to sport.

 

Objectives

Lay's RePlay places a strong emphasis on including community members and local organisations throughout the planning, construction and maintenance of each pitch, with a view to developing programmes that can address the specific social issues affecting each community while also fostering safe access to sport. Each pitch is constructed using partially recycled material and the aim is to deliver them with a net-zero carbon footprint.

Project activities

Multiple stakeholders are involved in creating the mini pitches, each of which takes an average of 8 to 12 months to complete. The local partner in each location will lead the process, in close collaboration with streetfootballworld.

Community engagement will be integral; the community is seen not as a recipient, but as part of the decision-making process. It is a participatory project, with an emphasis on talking to community stakeholders, understanding their needs, appreciating their contexts, and collaborating to find optimal solutions. The community is involved in the project before, during and after construction, and preference is given to local sources to ensure capacity development and build trust.

Expected results

  • Eight community football pitches will have been created by the end of 2022.
  • Recycled crisp packets constitute 32% of the material used to construct the pitches, and each community will become more aware of sustainable practices.
  • The artificial turf and the substrate on which it rests (Ecocept™) are 100% recyclable, thanks to the compression of recycled plastic.
  • Local communities in all locations are closely involved in the process.
  • Girls and boys have equal access to a space to play football.
  • Educational sporting programmes provide tailor-made support to the local community and drive positive change for generations to come.

 

First results in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and Italy

  • Local organisations have organised football and other sports sessions as well as educational initiatives to combat the social challenges faced by their communities. Themes tackled include female participation, physical and mental health, education and drugs.
  • Members of the community benefit from a new football pitch that remains open outside of the organised sessions.

Partners

Promoting inclusion through sport for street children in Pointe-Noire

Location and general information

Closed
Location Republic of Congo, Pointe-Noire
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €792,382
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 20200759
Partners Samusocial International
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

The number of street children in the Republic of Congo is increasing. Homeless, without family for support and stigmatised by others, they are socially excluded and do not have access to basic health and social services. The health, economic and social crisis caused by the global pandemic has had a very significant impact on street children. It has reinforced their situation of extreme vulnerability and made it even harder for them to survive on the streets, as they face more stigmatisation and more violence and it is more difficult to access care. The structures that support street children have also been strongly affected by the health crisis.

Created in 2006 with the support of Samusocial International, Samusocial Pointe-Noire assists street children, offering them holistic care. It has developed various services, including mobile teams who carry out street rounds, an emergency shelter and a day-care centre. Samusocial Pointe-Noire also works with partners to build and strengthen a continuum of care, including assistance for street children and young people in their plans to leave the street.

 

Project content

Samusocial Pointe-Noire aims to strengthen its approach to care by using sport as a means of social integration, enabling children and young people who are lost in life on the streets to find direction. The organisation’s approach consists of medical and psychosocial care reinforced by the practice of sport, helping children to develop the personal and social skills necessary for social integration.

Objectives

The overall objective is to contribute to the social inclusion of street children in Pointe-Noire.

The specific objectives are to ensure street children’s access to medical and psychosocial care and to promote their re-socialisation through the practice of sport.

Project activities

  • Carrying out street rounds to provide medical and psychosocial care to street children.
  • Providing accommodation for street children and supporting them in their plans to leave the streets.
  • Creating a football field at Samusocial Pointe-Noire’s shelter.
  • Organising monthly training sessions and annual competitions for street football and Nzango, a popular local sport.
  • Training sports facilitators.
  • Raising awareness of the problems that street children face.
  • Participating in a consultation taking place between NGOs and public bodies for the promotion of street children’s rights.

Expected results

  • 600 street children per year have access to medical and social assistance, through 300 street rounds.
  • 200 street children per year are accommodated at the shelter.
  • 60 street children per year are supported in leaving the streets.
  • 1 football field is created.
  • 60 street children, including 20 girls, participate in sports activities.
  • 12 street football and Nzango training sessions are carried out per month.
  • 2 street football and Nzango sports competitions are held.
  • 8 sports facilitators are trained.
  • 400 people and 15 professionals are made more aware of the problems that street children face.

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