Africa Archives - Page 6 of 6

Solidarité aveugle ; Blind Solidarity

Location and general information

Context

The project began with keen photographer Catherine Cabrol taking pictures of blind and partially sighted children at the Institut des Jeunes Aveugles (IJA), a school for blind children in Bamako. Catherine, who is also founder of the Libre Vue (Free View) association, wanted to connect with these girls and boys in a meaningful way and help them by selling her photos to fund a project to introduce them to blind football.

Thanks to her photography and the support of benefactors, Libre Vue was able to build a pitch designed especially for blind football, which opened in October 2012.

Solidarité Aveugle (Blind Solidarity) is a sustainable project designed to promote and develop blind football activities at the IJA. Focusing on the considerable needs of the school, the project aims to improve the lives of blind and partially sighted children by using football as a force for integration and development. By visiting mainstream schools, the project also aims to raise awareness among other children and change attitudes towards disability and difference. Sport plays an educational role, promotes important values, combats exclusion, improves well-being and increases self-esteem. At the IJA, the children receive special education, but in difficult conditions and with poor infrastructure. Sports facilities are limited and the football pitch, which floods during the monsoon season, requires regular maintenance.

Project content

In 2017, Libre Vue received initial support from the foundation following the annual call for projects. This funding was used to achieve the following objectives:

management of the sports centre and its activities;
first-rate training of coaches and young players in blind football, in accordance with international standards;
organisation of Mali’s first blind football cup; the first official tournament in Bamako was finally held as described in the interim report
raising awareness of visual impairment among the young people of Bamako;
building of new facilities, including separate showers and changing rooms for girls and boys. This ‘house for blind football’ project was finally launched at the end of 2018 and will finish in April 2019. The part of the grant earmarked for this project was therefore used at the end of last year.
participation of young people from Libre Vue in the Africa Cup of Nations thanks to additional funding alongside the association’s crowdfunding campaign

Results obtained:

120 young people, including 35 girls, aged between 7 and 25 benefited from the project.
Four weekly training sessions were organised.
Eleven coaches were trained by a coach and a player from the French blind football team.
The ten best youngsters participated in the CAN2017 in Cape Verde, winning a silver medal that enabled them to qualify for the Blind Football World Championships in Spain in 2018

At the IBSA Blind Football World Championships held in Madrid in June 2018, the Mali team finished tenth out of 16 participating nations, a remarkable performance for a first appearance.

[Photo of the Mali team at the World Championships]

On 21 April 2018, UEFA and the United Nations Office in Geneva joined forces to organise the Match for Solidarity. All the gate receipts, along with funds generated by an auction, were donated to humanitarian and development projects selected by the UEFA Foundation for Children.

Some of this income was used to provide a second payment to the Blind Football in Bamako project. Further activities are being planned for 2019 and 2020.

Objectives

Make blind football more accessible: annual pitch maintenance and gradual renovation of existing facilities; replacement of sports equipment (bell balls, including Youthorama mini-balls (also recently provided by your organisation), blindfolds, shirts, shin guards, bags, boots); and purchase of specific equipment for girls (sports bras).
Promote elite performance: support from an expert coach for competition preparation, assistance from therapists; purchase of specific equipment (treadmill, exercise bike and street workout equipment); training for referees and guides; and coach education.
Adapt the ‘house for blind football’ partially funded by the foundation (opening in spring 2019): furniture for the changing rooms and teaching staff offices; and energy-producing technologies (solar panels to heat water for the showers and generate electricity for the building).
Encourage girls: launch of an art project combining photography and a poetry competition to help partially sighted girls excel; organisation of an event at the French Institute in Bamako; and publication of an explanatory booklet.
Promote economic and social integration: help with clothing and mobility (white sticks, transport subsidies); awareness-raising in schools; academic support (braille paper, portable braille computers for older children); and creation of a professional integration centre involving companies in Bamako.

Project activities

120 blind and partially sighted children participate in blind football activities, with access to a new building with changing rooms and showers
20 youngsters are given extra support to play at elite level
12 youngsters receive support with professional integration from a dedicated project manager
120 young people receive general support
16 girls involved in an art project

Partners

Children on the Move Uganda

Location and general information

Closed

Location Moyo, Uganda

Start date 01/01/2019

End date Ongoing

Cost of the project €296,592

Foundation funding €140,000

Project identifier AFR2018161

Partners Swiss Academy for Development (SAD), Community Psychosocial Support Organisation (CPSO, local partner)

Context

The current conflict in South Sudan has led to the arrival of nearly 800,000 refugees in Uganda, the largest group of refugees in the country.[1] Uprooted from their homes as a result of the war, many refugees suffer from severe mental illness. Unfortunately, trauma victims are rarely treated on account of the focus on meeting immediate basic needs. In addition to mental illnesses, UNICEF recently reported that over 4,400 children and 2,706 pregnant women in Ugandan refugee camps were living with HIV.[2] These figures do not include undeclared cases, which could be much more numerous. It is therefore vital that refugees are given accurate information.

In addition to health issues, tensions and conflicts between the refugees and their host communities serve to amplify the difficulties faced by the refugees.

[1] UNHCR, https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/southsudan

[2] UNICEF Uganda CO Humanitarian Annual Situation Report 2018 https://www.unicef.org/appeals/files/UNICEF_UGANDA_CO_Humanitarian_Annual_Situation_Report___January_to_December_2018.pdf

Project content

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 65% of South Sudanese refugees are under the age of 18.[1] In this context, the Swiss Academy for Development (SAD), in collaboration with the Community Psychosocial Support Organisation (CPSO), wants to enable young refugees in the Moyo district to better cope with trauma and stress by increasing their resilience and self-belief and by encouraging peer support through sport and play-based psychosocial activities. A 24-month programme of supervised group sport and play activities, including non-competitive team sport, will be implemented to help them overcome feelings of stress and anxiety and develop social cohesion, trust and critical life skills. Life skills training will be expanded to include HIV/AIDS awareness, while a new environmental focus will highlight the need to maintain a clean space within the camps.

[1] UNHCR, https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/southsudan

Objectives

To support the most vulnerable young South Sudanese refugees living in camps in the Moyo district.
To offer regular sport and play-based programmes designed to help children and young people to build essential life skills, strengthen resilience and foster social cohesion between refugees and local populations.
To improve young refugees’ resilience and offer them sustainable livelihoods.
To reduce the negative psychosocial effects of war-related trauma on displaced children and young people from South Sudan.

Project activities

The sport and play sessions will be based on the ’Life Skills for Overcoming Trauma and Coping with Stress Curriculum’, which the SAD and the CPSO developed together and is being continuously adapted. In an easy-to-read format with clear objectives for each session, the curriculum document contains precise instructions for every activity, while teaching aids are adapted to refugee camp settings. Each session will be followed by an educational activity on topics relevant to the participants’ age group, such as alcohol and drug abuse, child marriage and early pregnancy, HIV/AIDS prevention, psychosocial awareness, hygiene and healthy relationships.

Similarly, the ‘Children on the Move Uganda’ project will provide a theoretical basis for the organisation of sports programmes specifically designed for victims of trauma.

Supervised team sports (particularly football) and life skills games will continue to be used as a powerful vehicle for bringing children and young people from different social backgrounds together in a relaxed and enjoyable setting, where they can share their emotions – both verbally and non-verbally – and be distracted from their immediate sorrows and suffering. At the same time, sport and play activities will strengthen social bonds among refugees and members of the host community, and provide a positive, safe space to deal with difficult emotions such as fear and frustration.

The project will include group discussions and workshops designed to raise refugees’ awareness and understanding of the mental health problems that could result from their exposure to traumatic events before, during and after their displacement. Participants will be taught a variety of response and coping strategies.

Discussion sessions will also help CPSO psychosocial counsellors to identify more serious psychological problems, as well as problems with family dynamics that require individual, family or group counselling or referral to more specialised mental health care services.

Expected results

During phase I, the CPSO has been working in eight of the 15 camps established for refugees from South Sudan in the Moyo district. In phase II, it plans to extend its activities to two more camps and open two new safe spaces as well as five satellite playgrounds. In total, ten safe spaces and ten satellite playgrounds will be established within the ten camps. Weekly sport and play sessions for children and young people will be planned and run by a total of 20 coaches. Five additional coaches will be recruited. Sessions will be held at a convenient time for all (late afternoon) and last two hours.
The provision of sport and play activities in a psychosocial context requires an effective team of facilitators. To this end, the SAD and the CPSO will train existing and newly recruited coaches to run trauma-informed sport and play activities and use sport, games, drama, singing and storytelling to lead discussions on coping with trauma and daily stress.
Weekly sport and play sessions will be followed by educational activities aimed at children, young people and women, covering topics associated with trauma, PTSD and coping strategies. Participants will learn how to recognise the signs of trauma and PTSD, and will develop their personal understanding of coping strategies.
Thematic sessions will be run for children, young people, women and men on health (HIV/AIDS), peace-building and conflict resolution. This will support their general well-being, and their resilience and ability to cope in particular.
Individual, family and group counselling sessions will be held to provide children, young people, men and women with support and a safe place to talk about psychosocial issues and concerns. Through these sessions, participants will strengthen their support networks, improve their communication skills and find a safe place to discuss challenging issues.
Ten mobile clinics (one for each camp) will be equipped and ready to provide medical support for camp residents with severe mental health disorders. Patients who exhibit signs of need during sport and play or counselling sessions will be referred to these clinics.
Ten additional saving and loan groups will be established to give young people and men an opportunity to develop an income-generating activity.
Technical training (i.e. entrepreneurship and agriculture) will be provided to at least ten groups of young people, women and men in each camp to help them establish their income-generating activities.
Seed capital will be provided to help young people, women and men start their income-generating activities based on the training they receive.

Partner

BOPHELO KE KGWELE – “The game, The life!”

Location and general information

Context

In South Africa, physical education was removed from the school curriculum in 1994, before subsequently being reinstated, thanks to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, among other things. However, sport is generally neglected in townships such as Mamelodi, which have few suitable sports pitches and playing fields. As a result, only schools with sufficient infrastructure and financial resources are able to offer such lessons, which are essential for children’s development.

Project content

The Bophelo Ke Kgwele (The game, the life!) project offers a programme based on three pillars: educational support, sport and the development of life skills. Through extracurricular activities combining sport and education, it aims in particular to equip children with the tools they need to develop as people and reduce high-risk behaviour. The project uses football (among other sports) to drive social cohesion, personal development and children’s awareness of issues such as criminality, health, HIV/AIDS, self-esteem and high-risk behaviour (violence, alcohol, drugs, gangs, early and unprotected sex, teenage pregnancies, etc.). Most of these activities, which are supervised by six young local coaches, are held on the public Rethabile Sports Ground (RSG) and at the project’s partner schools.

IMBEWU runs the Bophelo Ke Kgwele (The game, the life!) project in partnership with Altus Sport, a local organisation that has spent almost 20 years providing youth education through sport, and four partner primary schools that host the ‘Read & Write’ educational support sessions. Aimed at children in years 1 to 4, these sessions are teacher-led, although youth leaders can also monitor the children’s progress and help them with any problems. Furthermore, since many children in Mamelodi township are malnourished, the project’s objectives now include a nutritional element, with each participating child given a piece of fruit every day (except Fridays, when the number of participants is unpredictable).

Objectives

The primary objective of the project is to use sports and educational activities to improve the life chances of children from the townships and to help them become drivers of change within their own community.

Improve children’s physical and mental well-being: sport gives children and young people a healthy lifestyle, and this is accompanied throughout the programme by personal development sessions spelling out sport’s intuitive lessons.
Support children’s general education by means of ‘Let’s Read’ sessions: enabling the very youngest children (six to eight years old) to learn to read and write in English in a stimulating environment.
Raise awareness and provide information about HIV/AIDS: the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS is one of the main issues addressed at these sessions, as children and disadvantaged groups in townships have to deal with this pandemic from a very young age.

Project Activities

‘Let’s Move’ sports sessions

The children participating in the project learn how to play a wide range of sports four times a week throughout the year. Every Friday, non-participants are also invited to attend open-doors events known as ‘Fun Fridays’, when sports matches and tournaments are organised.

‘Life Skills’ sessions

‘Life Skills’ sessions promote social awareness and health prevention through fun, interactive games. They start with a game that focuses on a specific life skill, which is followed by a discussion on the chosen theme. The children then participate in an activity linked to the theme, before the session concludes with a final game involving the sport and the life skill taught during the session. The sessions address social and health-related topics such as HIV/AIDS, the environment, rights and responsibilities, criminality and gender equality. Older children tackle more sensitive issues linked to sexual and reproductive health, drug use and various addictions.

Educational support

Through its ‘Let’s Read’ programme, the Bophelo Ke Kgwele project offers support with reading and writing in English to children aged between six and eight.

Camps and other weekend and holiday activities

In order to give children a chance to get away from the harsh realities of life in their township, camps are organised once a year, when they can escape, discover nature, spend time with their peers and develop a sense of responsibility by cooking, cleaning and tidying. These camps also enable the coaches to assess the children’s leadership skills.

Monthly meetings and training sessions for the six young coaches

A training workshop is held for all the coaches involved in the projects run by Altus Sport in order to provide opportunities for discussion and dialogue between the young leaders and offer them training that will help them find employment.

Expected results

Specific objective A:

Enhanced psychosocial well-being and general education for the children and teenagers participating in the Bophelo Ke Kgwele project.

Expected results A:

A.1 Improved social skills and behaviour among the children and teenagers participating in the project.

A.2 Improved personal skills among the children and teenagers participating in the project, as well as development in various areas such as leadership, target-setting, sense of responsibility, etc.

A.3 Improved English and critical thinking skills among the children and teenagers participating in the project.

A.4 Improved sports performance and health among the children and teenagers participating in the project.

Specific objective B:

By building partnerships, the local partner (Altus Sport) becomes stronger, more sustainable and more autonomous in the local and international contexts.

Expected results B:

B.1 Local partners (primary schools, Tshwane municipal authority and parents) are involved in the project and contribute to its sustainability and success.

B.2 Lessons learned from the experience within the partner organisation are used to improve the quality of the project.

Partners

IMBEWU, Altus Sport, Pula Difate, Zakhele, Balebogeng and Mononong primary schools, University of Pretoria

Open Fun Football Schools programme – Playing for peace

Location and general information

Closed

Location South Sudan

Start date 12/01/2018

End date 12/31/2020

Cost of the project €300,000

Foundation funding €250,000

Project identifier 2019722

Partners Cross Culture Project Association, South Sudan Football Association and Nasvick Initiative

Context

After 42 years of intermittent civil war and local conflicts, the situation in South Sudan is fragile. As of 2018, this conflict had resulted in almost 400,000 deaths and the displacement of millions. Since 2014, South Sudan has been experiencing one of the most acute refugee crises in the world. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 1.9 million people have been forced from their homes. The country is also facing considerable humanitarian challenges. Consequently, much of the population lacks human rights protections and is dependent on humanitarian assistance. Moreover, many children in South Sudan are traumatised by the war and do not have access to schooling or any opportunity to take part in safe, fun activities.

Project content

The Cross Cultures Project Association is collaborating with the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) to provide access to football activities for children affected by decades of war and conflict, and to contribute to peace and reconciliation among different ethnic groups. In December 2018, Cross Cultures undertook a small baseline study together with the SSFA, which revealed that only 67 boys and 48 girls aged between 6 and 15 years played football in a formal club in the Torit area, and only 71 youth teams for children under 17 and 12 female teams were registered with the SSFA in Juba (involving fewer than 1,500 persons).

Some 3,600 children now take part in weekly Open Fun Football Schools activities organised by Cross Cultures. The programme provides a friendly, joyful and non-violent environment in which people of different backgrounds can play together, along with an informal platform for educating children and youngsters in other life skills.

The project focuses on the integration of school dropouts and the large number of internally displaced children returning to their homes after many years. The activities are primarily run by youth leaders, young volunteer coaches and coach assistants.

(Note: The Covid-19 pandemic is of course impacting the programme. The number of people affected by Covid-19 in South Sudan is increasing every day. Schools are closed. Children are at home. Their movements are restricted, and they are prohibited from gathering in larger groups and playing football with their friends.

However, maintaining a lockdown in South Sudan is challenging because it is among the poorest countries in the world and households need to earn a daily income for food and other necessities. People are therefore forced to move around cities visiting locations such as markets and taxi stands, with a high risk of spreading the virus. In addition, poorer families, orphans and street children do not have access to information regarding the outbreak or proper sanitation.

In light of the above, the Open Fun Football Schools programme has been suspended and its 200 young volunteer football coaches are assisting South Sudan's health authorities, for example by providing Covid‑19 information and distributing sanitation kits directly to 1,000 vulnerable households and orphans involved in the programme and distributing information in public places. These activities were not originally included in the programme.)

Objectives

The Open Fun Football Schools programme aims to mobilise and train 200 young men and women to run activities that contribute to peaceful inter-ethnic relations, improved livelihoods, health, gender equality and the protection of the environment and natural resources. The project focuses on the inclusion of orphans and internally displaced people and returnees in Torit and Juba communities.

Project activities

A train-the-trainers seminar will be held for Open Fun Football Schools instructors on how to use grassroots football to encourage integration, peaceful inter-ethnic relations and social change.
A two-day capacity-building seminar for voluntary coaches as well as on-the-job training will be run by the youth football instructors and international CCPA staff.
A five-day Open Fun Football Schools course will be offered for vulnerable, socially vulnerable and isolated children.
Training and coaching will be provided to football instructors, coaches, assistant coaches, parents and older children on how to include hygiene, sanitation and Covid-19 awareness campaigns in the programme.
The young volunteer coaches will hold health and hygiene training on Covid-19, water-borne diseases and other related illnesses, which are among the leading causes of human suffering and death in South Sudan.

Expected results

At least 40% of the children involved in the programme must be girls and a minimum of 50% of the participants must be orphans, children from poor families or other out-of-school children.
Sixteen young people are to be trained to become instructors and football instructors.
The 16 football instructors are to recruit 96 volunteer coaches and 96 volunteer assistant coaches.
Some 2,000 children aged between 6 and 12, of whom a minimum of 50% are to be girls, are to take part in five-day Open Fun Football Schools courses, with eight festivals to be held.
The Open Fun Football Schools approach is to be formalised and implemented, providing a sustainable support structure for volunteer-led sports activities.
The young football instructors and coaches are to be trained in health and hygiene.
A further 194 voluntary coaches and assistant coaches are to be trained by the instructors in health and hygiene.

Partners

Giving youth and peace a sporting chance on and off the field

Location and general information

Terminé

Location Kenya

Start date 01/01/2019

End date 12/31/2019

Cost of the project €134,400

Foundation funding €114,000

Project identifier AFR - 2018289

Partners Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA), streetfootballworld, East Africa Cup, Laureus Sports for Good Foundation, Noracta

Context

The Mathare area is one of the largest and poorest slums in Africa and home to around half a million adults and children. Over 70% are hardworking single mothers and their children, whose fathers have died or have abandoned their family. One of the problems in providing help to Mathare and other slums is that there are so few studies and facts available. When the United Nations collects statistics they use only two categories, urban and rural. The slums with their urban poor are hidden inside the urban statistics; just as the slums are a hidden part of the city, so few visitors ever see them. Yet in Nairobi and many other big cities in Africa, more than half the population lives in slums. The highest levels of unemployment, crime and illiteracy can be found in the slums.

Health Status

The Mathare and neighbouring slums are densely populated and all around there is uncollected rubbish, human waste and blocked drainage systems. As a result, chronic diseases such as malaria, cholera, tuberculosis and dysentery are easily spread, and outbreaks wreak havoc among the population living in the slums.

Sickness and death is the greatest concern for those working to support Mathare. People cannot afford proper health treatment due to limitations in the health services available. Water is also a big problem in the Mathare slums and neighbouring areas. Clean water is sold in 10-20 litre containers and some people struggle to afford these. The use of dirty water causes infections and diseases.

Vulnerable populations

In Mathare and the surrounding areas young people and children under 18 years old are the most likely group to contract HIV/AIDS or get caught up in crime, drugs or alcohol. The factors behind this include a lack of education, a lack of income-generating opportunities, and cultural norms and practices that limit their opportunities to benefit from social and economic development. Alcohol abuse has also contributed significantly to the increase in numbers of young people having unprotected sex, which in turn has increased the number of sexually transmitted infections.

Project content

The Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) is a community development organisation that uses sports to engender broad socio-economic development, while also effecting positive social change. Founded in 1987 as a self-help youth sport and community development organisation, MYSA has, to date, grown to be the largest youth sport and community development organisation in Africa. Over 1,500 football teams are registered, playing over 15,000 league matches a year in over 16 communities (zones) covering 11 sub-counties in Nairobi County. This means there are over 25,000 young people signed up as members. MYSA is recognised as an example of excellence within the sport and development world, especially in addressing social issues.

MYSA has continued to use sports activities, particularly football, as innovative and effective ways to get young people involved in helping themselves and their communities. In addition, over the years the organisation has expanded its activities to include other sports, arts and culture, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, health education, photography, youth rights, youth employability, leadership awards, a leadership academy programme and community libraries. The organisation has also replicated the MYSA model in Kakuma refugee camp in northwest Kenya, as well as in Botswana, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda. In total, the organisation has directly impacted over 200,000 young people over a period of 30 years.

One of MYSA’s most distinctive qualities is the fact that it is owned and managed by the young people themselves and that it is genuinely a community-driven organisation, with the average age of the MYSA officials, volunteer leaders and coaches being just 15-16 years old. But despite their age, these young leaders have benefited from MYSA programmes and have amazing enthusiasm, dedication and drive to continue the work of the organisation.

Objectives

Encourage peace-building by increasing the participation of young people in sports.
Produce effective and efficient sports administrators and leaders through training courses.
Create partnerships with local and international schools, colleges and other institutions.
Create learning opportunities for players through local and international youth exchange programmes and raise awareness about disability issues within the community.
Ensure that the community members living in Mathare and neighbouring slums are aware of the importance of environmental conservation and contribute toward fighting climate change.
Improve the quality of local playing fields in order to reduce injuries during MYSA activities.
Document all MYSA activities, design and publish MYSA brochures, newsletters and an annual report.

Project activities

Registration of teams and members, where mutual understanding and friendship is cultivated.
Election via a democratic process of 144 leaders who can coordinate the leagues in the 16 zones.
Engagement of young people in football leagues and building their environmental awareness while providing safe spaces for them to discuss and enhance peace in their communities.
Equip young leaders from the leagues with both football and life skills, as well as building their capacities in different areas, including photography, coaching and refereeing, among others.
Bringing the top achievers from the 16 zones together to share their best practices, enabling them to bond and learn from each other.
Both teams and players will earn points for actively and successfully completing a scheduled community service activity (which could be, among other things, opening up the closed sewerage system, levelling the playing fields, cutting grass or planting trees).

Expected results

Registration of 1,850 teams and over 26,900 members.
Over 10,000 matches played and all statistical reports provided.
Election of leaders in league committees, sports, community service and executive councils.
72 sports, community service and executive council meetings.
Annual MYSA championship and film festival.
Engage 22 personnel in the implementation of the project activities.
32 clean-up activities, building a tree nursery and more than 600 trees planted.
Develop and repair two playing fields a month.
Transport clean up equipment for all 32 scheduled community service activities.
Increase environmental awareness in all 16 MYSA zones.
Treat all injuries arising from activities related to the sports leagues.
Establish four new partners to support the activities.
Offer 24 activities, two a month for children with disabilities.
Two local and one international educational tour for children with disabilities.
Purchase stationery, sports and communication equipment and materials.
Train 72 members and young leaders on environmental issues, film and photography.
Four media briefings and a press conference.
Two local and one international tournament and exchange programme.
Report to the UEFA foundation after six months (interim report) and at the end of the year (final report).

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

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

Sport for protection and social inclusion in Egypt

Location and general information

Context

By January 2017, Egypt had taken in over 191,000 UNHCR-registered refugees and asylum-seekers, 40% of whom are children. Of these children, 60% are Syrians, 17% Sudanese and 6% Ethiopians. The remainder are from Iraq, Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. In 2016 the total population of concern was 50% higher than in 2015. Together with workers from other regions such as Asia and clandestine immigrants, the International Organisation for Migration estimates that the overall number of refugees and migrants in the country is probably as high as one million.

A difficult socio-economic environment, increasing living costs, discrimination and language barriers all make it difficult for refugees to integrate. Their physical safety is also cause for concern.

Limited livelihoods and a loss of hope of returning home have contributed to an increase in the number of refugees attempting to reach Europe. At the same time, the child-protection situation is alarming. In addition to the physical and psychological suffering experienced by refugee and migrant children, they are subject to gender-based violence, violence in schools and child labour, and many drop out of school. The lack of educational opportunities contributes to a sense of hopelessness and isolation.

Project Content

Target population

1,500 young people (between the ages of 15 and 22) regardless of nationality, gender and refugee status, migrants and host communities. This makes an average of 150 youngsters per location, with special attention to girls (50%) and children with disabilities (when appropriate support is available).
70 coaches (men and women) – 20 professionals and 50 young leaders / parents – 7 per location
750 carers
2,000 local community members – 200 per site

Project location

Terre des Hommes will run this project at ten sites within the governorates of Greater Cairo and Damietta:

in the seven existing family centres
in mobile units – youth centres, public spaces, community schools

In its sport for protection and social inclusion programme, Terre des Hommes focuses on community support for refugees and migrants, children and young people, as well as vulnerable Egyptian communities. Sport, and football in particular, plays an important role in healing and helps people cope with physical health issues as well as social, psychological and developmental needs, especially young people who suffer stress and anxiety as a result of their displacement.

The programmes provide a safe, structured and friendly environment for children to share their emotions, strengthen social cohesion, and reinforce educational messages. Girls and young women have the opportunity to take part in sports activities from which they were previously excluded. Recently, activities have been extended to parents, to free them from their daily routine and strengthen family relationships.

Objectives

Design a training programme for coaches, including not only technical football skills but also soft skills such as intercultural competence, leadership, conflict resolution, team-building and communication.
Organise weekly sports sessions for boys and girls in a safe and child-friendly environment. Once or twice a week per location.
Continue to provide weekly psychological activities. The combination of artistic and sports activities has proved to be worthwhile in terms of the impact on the psychosocial wellbeing of children and teenagers. Six days a week.
Provide teenagers with life skills and the knowledge they need to adapt to Egyptian society. Three days a week.
Provide intergenerational sports activities.
Organise cultural and sport events. Once a month.
Organise football tournaments. Every six months.
Create awareness of child protection, social inclusion and social cohesion during the weekly sessions and campaign during sporting events.
Use social media for local communication, featuring short videos and success stories.

Expected results

Refugees and migrant children and teenagers become active community agents to improve their wellbeing and their social inclusion
Sustainable sport together with psychosocial and life-skill activities increase social inclusion and community-based protection for vulnerable children and teenagers
By the end of the project, 70 local coaches, professionals and youth leaders will have enhanced their technical and leadership skills so that they can help youngsters to act as agents of change in their refugee, migrant and host communities
Through social sport activities, 1,500 young people have improved their psychosocial wellbeing (self-esteem, self-confidence) and peer support, allowing them to be more confident when interacting with peers
1,500 youngsters and 2,750 parents and locals are mobilised to take part in activities that promote community and social cohesion, including gender and disability

Partners

Life Skills Curriculum Project

Location and general information

Context

More than 25 years of international and domestic insecurity and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has left very few prospects for youth development. As a consequence of this long period of instability, the population is facing health issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, malnutrition and communicable disease transmission. In this context, Promo Jeune Basket (PJB), a locally run grassroots organisation based in Goma, focuses on educating youth through basketball. PJB aims to empower youth to overcome their difficult situations by using sport as a tool for health promotion, peace and education by requiring all participants to attend school.

The UEFA Foundation for Children is supporting the Life Skills Curriculum Project. This programme will encourage young people to focus on their future, avoid risk behaviours and engage in the world with a global perspective. The course will include a range of topics, including personal health and hygiene, the importance of education, goal setting, and non-violent communication.

This project will run in tandem with the existing programmes of the organisation: basketball training that uses sport to instil the values of hard work, team spirit, discipline and respect; and the provision of school scholarships for players who exemplify these values on the court and in the community.

Project Content

Life Skills Curriculum Project is a course tailored to the needs and aspirations of the community. These lessons provide young people with a chance to learn about personal health, practice non-violent conflict resolution, increase their ability to work with others and allow a safe, open space for dialogue about the challenges they encounter in their community. These objectives are met through the five components of the course:

Personal development – focus on health, hygiene and self-confidence
Collaboration and cooperation – focus on conflict resolution
Interpersonal communication – focus on processing and expressing emotions, as well as on public speaking
Professional development – focus on goal-setting, time management and leadership development
Problem-solving and critical thinking – focus on dialogue around community issues such as poverty, insecurity, domestic and sexual abuse, and peer pressure

Objectives

Deliver the life skills curriculum to PJB players aged 14 and older. These youngster will develop personally and professionally, learn strategies for facilitating non-violent conflict resolution, collaborate with others and practise critical thinking.
Train 15 young leaders (university and upper secondary students) to teach and deliver life skills lessons on and off the court.
Offer the life skills curriculum to over 1,200 young people in the city of Goma.
Create a media programme to promote the life skills programme and reach a larger number of young people in the city.

Expected impact and results

1. The personal development classes increase young people’s confidence and leadership skills.
2. The communication lessons prepare young people to facilitate non-violent communication and make them fluent in peace strategies.
3. The professional development lessons prepare young people to succeed both academically and professionally.
4. The collaboration and cooperation lessons improve young people’s ability to work in diverse groups.
5. The problem-solving units cultivate critical-thinking skills as well as open dialogue for talking about difficult issues such as poverty and insecurity. The ultimate result of the life skills programme is that young people are helped to become active citizen leaders in their community.

Partners

Sport after reading and play

Location and General Information

Context

According to the United Nations, Benin, Cameroon and Togo are some of the world’s poorest countries, ranked 166th, 153rd and 162nd respectively out of 188 in terms of human development. None of them have an average life expectancy of more than 57 years; children spend an average of less than six years at school (less than four in Benin); less than a third of children go on to secondary or higher education; and both women and girls are marginalised when it comes to sport.

This project forms part of an educational programme outside of school which uses games, sport, books and modern IT in order to provide teaching, pursue preventive and educational goals, and achieve a comprehensive range of development objectives in deprived areas of developing countries, establishing libraries of books and games, sports academies promoting team sports, dedicated IT areas, etc.

Project content

This project uses the power of football – and sport in general – to foster the development of deprived children in all respects and improve their life chances. The funding that the UEFA Foundation for Children provides will allow the project to:

build and equip multi-sport pitches in the heart of deprived areas of the three countries;
purchase sports equipment for handball, basketball, football and volleyball;
train young local sports coaches;
organise a sports academy offering four hours of coaching a week for each sport (i.e. a total of 16 hours a week across the four sports);
organise a promotional tournament;
bring organisers from the three countries together to exchange ideas;
establish monitoring, oversight, support and assessment mechanisms.

Objectives

Foster personal development and self-confidence, preparing children for the future and helping them to escape poverty
Help teachers/instructors to organise high-quality educational initiatives through sport with a view to fostering all aspects of development
Help to improve the physical and mental well-being of young children and adolescents in deprived areas by giving them the opportunity to play four team sports (football, handball, volleyball and basketball) in a high-quality environment
Teach children sporting values such as respect, sharing, solidarity, humility, perseverance, discipline and team spirit
Promote universal access to team sports through regular sessions overseen by trained local coaches from the same social class as the children
Foster exchanges of ideas/experiences and networking among the young sports coaches with a view to effecting lasting change through sport

Expected results

In order to ensure that these sports are played in appropriate conditions, help participants to really develop their sports skills and learn the positive civic values embodied by sport, and encourage children to adopt behavioural patterns that reflect the project’s educational objectives, a maximum of 30 participants will be able to sign up for each of the four sports (handball, volleyball, football and basketball) in each semester – i.e. each country will have a limit of 240 children per year (resulting in a grand total of 720 beneficiaries per year). This should allow the following objectives to be achieved:

Develop new educational activities in these deprived areas
Facilitate team sports through the construction of pitches
Recruit young coaches (men and women) to work with local children
Offer sustainable and structured sporting activities throughout the year
Foster positive values such as respect, sharing, solidarity, discipline and team spirit
Increase participation among girls and stimulate the local community
Tackle inactivity

Partners

Tackling social exclusion in Burkina Faso

LOCATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

Our aim

Samusocial Burkina Faso (SSBF) is a Burkinabe association that was created 13 years ago with the support of Samusocial International. Its mission is to contribute to the fight against social exclusion of street children in Ouagadougou. Since it was created, the SSBF has developed various services, including mobile teams carrying out street rounds, an emergency shelter and a day care center. It also supports its partners in order to build and strengthen a continuum of care, including assisting street children and young people in their plans to leave the street.

PROJECT CONTENT

Continuous assistance for street children in Burkina Faso

The objective of this programme is to fight against social exclusion in Burkina Faso by improving the situation of children and young people at risk living on the streets of Ouagadougou and supporting their projects to leave the street.

Specific objectives:

To give them access to professional emergency services tailored to their specific needs, 7/7;
To detect, prevent and respond to physical and psychological abuse they suffer;
To provide them with support for their ‘off the street’ projects, through family tracing and/or directing them towards reintegration programmes managed by public services or partner associations;
To inform and mobilise civil society and public authorities on the phenomenon of street children so that great attention is given to this problem in their actions.

Samusocial activities at the centre

The centre’s work is organised around several activities:

Reaching out towards street children and offering them medical, psychological and social services in the street. Street rounds are organised every night on the streets of Ouagadougou, in specific areas where street children live, in order to offer them medical care and to listen to them, allowing them to reconnect with society, regain their self-confidence and consider their future.
Offering immediate protection measures to the most vulnerable of street children by giving them access to the SSBF emergency shelter and/or day care services.
Offering street children access to basic hygiene services and professional consultations (with doctors, social workers and psychologists) at the SSBF day care centre or through referral to partners’ services.
Supporting street children in their projects to leave the street and/or to get back with their families. For children who are considering the possibility of reconnecting with their families and potentially returning home, Samusocial offers support and family mediation. For children who are willing to leave the street in other ways, Samusocial refers them to partners who are specialised in medium or long-term programmes (schooling, vocational training, etc.).
Informing mobilising and including municipality services in activities for street children.
Organising awareness activities for the general public.

Expected results

To protect and take care of street children and young people, each year giving:

900 children and young people access to medical, psychological and social care;
150 new children and young people contact with the mobile team;
150 children and young people access to the emergency shelter.

To support street children and young people in their projects to leave the street and/or to get back with their families, each year supporting:

70 children and young people in their projects to leave the street;
50 children and young people in their family tracing projects.

To inform and mobilise the general public about social exclusion of street children and young people, with each year:

around 15 public and private stakeholders taking part in a cooperative and consultative group about street children and young people.

Links

samusocial International http://www.samu-social-international.com/fr/
samusocial Burkina Faso http://samusocialburkinafaso.org/

OUR PARTNERS

Improvement of living conditions of street children in Luanda

Location and general information

OUR AIM

Samusocial International in Angola helps promote an inclusive society by reinforcing actions and partnerships between civil society organisations and local authorities involved in caring for the most excluded children and adolescents.

Samusocial International has been present in Angola since 2010 and works with street children in partnership with the Angolan Association CACAJ (Arnold Janssen Children’s Centre). Since Samusocial International started its work there, over 300 street children have received specific medico-psychosocial support.

PROJECT CONTENT

According to UNICEF, 5,000 children live on the streets of Luanda

The programme acts at three different levels:

Improving access to basic services and quality of care provided to street children in Luanda, by assisting the Arnold Janssen Centre with technical means;
Strengthening cooperation and networking between non-governmental actors and public institutions/local authorities involved in care and support to street children;
Promoting street children’s rights by raising awareness of the living conditions of street children, spreading information and experiences between all entities involved in children’s care.

Samusocial International’s activities

To ensure that access to basic social services are improved for street children in Luanda, the following actions are envisaged:

Medico-psychosocial support to vulnerable children by the mobile outreach team and by the Arnold Janssen Centre;
Strengthening of Arnold Janssen Centre management with logistical, human resources and financial support;
Supporting of the family reinsertion process in partnership with relevant local and national institutions.

Cooperation between professionals from different social entities for street children with local authorities will be strengthened through the following activities:

Organising ongoing training sessions for the Arnold Janssen Centre teams;
Organising ongoing training sessions for partner teams;
Facilitating the exchange of best practices and cooperation between shelter facilities working with street children in Luanda and with local authorities. Organising and developing a network of state and non-state actors working in the social and family reintegration of children and young people.

Information and documentation about the status and rights of vulnerable children will be made available to public and civil society child protection actors through the following activities:

Ensuring continual updating of documentation and data about street children;
Developing technical guidance documents for the network professionals and organising information and knowledge sharing;
Developing advocacy tools for the rights of the most excluded children.

Expected results

Access to basic social services are improved for street children in Luanda through improved technical capacities and means of the Arnold Janssen Centre:

400 street children benefit from medico-psychosocial support support during the two years of the project;
800 children a year receive individual care and social support;
20 street chidren benefit from family tracing each year;
120 children living at the Arnold Janssen Centre participate in educational, vocational and leisure activities.

Sharing and cooperation between professionals from different social facilities for street children along with local authorities will be implemented through training and experience-sharing sessions:

30 professional staff from the Arnold Janssen Centre and partners participate in training sessions, professional exchanges and networking.

Information and documentation about the status and rights of vulnerable children will be made available to public and civil society child protection actors:

40 professionals, decision-makers and public/private stakeholders working with steet children and/or vulnerable children get access to documentation about the situation of street children ad receive technical documentation and guidelines produced during the project;
They participate in advocacy events involving street children organised at least once a year in Luanda.

Links

Samu Social International http://www.samu-social-international.com/en/

Samu Social International – Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ssiangola/timeline

Centro de Acolhimento de Crianças http://cacajluanda.org/

OUR PARTNERS

Multimedia library for children in Ziguinchor

Location and general information

Context

The UEFA Foundation for Children will contribute towards the cost of an Ideas Box portable multimedia library and thereby allow the Franco-Senegalese association Future au Présent (FAP), which works with streetchildren in Zigninchor, to do more for the education of these children who do not go to school. The project will help 7,500 children, with a special emphasis on books for girls.

35% of under-15s work

Casamance is an area in the south of Senegal. It is one of the poorest parts of the country and, moreover, has been a zone of conflict between separatists and the Senegalese government since the 1980s. The instability of the region, the lack of infrastructure and the extreme poverty cause people to migrate to the main town of Ziguinchor.
Children are the first to suffer from this impoverishment. They stay away from school and end up working. Some, whose families have broken up, find themselves living on the streets. Girls are especially vulneable because they often work as servants, which can result in them being abused in the worst possible way.

Ideas Box – a way to reach out to marginalised children

Libraries without Borders have created the Ideas Box, a portable multimedia kit that sits on two pallets and provides an area of 100m2 with an internet or 4G connection, computers, tablets, books and a cinema. It can be assembled in less than 20 minutes.

Aims and expected results

Project aim:

To improve the integration and access to education of streetchildren and child workers in the Ziguinchor area of Senegal;
To strengthen family ties and ties between the family and the school system.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

streetchildren
at-risk children and child workers
vulnerable families and local schools

Expected results of the project:

independence and social integration of children, girls in particular
improved education thanks to access to books, reduction in illiteracy among children and young people, stronger resilience thanks to psychosocial support
strengthening of family ties
creation of ties between families and the school system