Ti Mouvman Fun-Da-Mentals (‘little movement fundamentals’)

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Canaries, Soufrière, Vieux Fort and Dennery, Saint Lucia
Start date 03/02/2026
End date 02/29/2028
Cost of the project €138,270
Foundation funding €81,172
Project identifier 2025001807
Partners Sacred Sports Foundation Inc
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Saint Lucia, like many developing small island states in the Caribbean, is experiencing a steady decline in physical activity among children. This trend is particularly evident in underserved communities, where schools experience limited resources, reduced access to trained physical education teachers, and competing academic priorities that often result in physical education being deprioritised. At the same time, children’s lifestyles are becoming increasingly sedentary due to screen use, a reduction in the number of safe play spaces, and fewer structured opportunities for movement.

When foundational movement skills, coordination, confidence, and positive attitudes towards physical activity are not developed early, children are more likely to disengage from sport altogether, which increases their long-term risk of obesity, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, and poor mental health. Saint Lucia already faces a high burden of lifestyle-related diseases in adults, including obesity and diabetes, underscoring the urgent need for early preventive action.

Project goals

  1. Increase access to safe, structured, and inclusive physical activity for children aged six to ten in underserved communities in Saint Lucia.
  2. Improve fundamental movement skills, agility, balance, and coordination, as well as overall physical literacy, among participating children.
  3. Encourage positive attitudes towards physical activity and lifelong active lifestyles from an early age.
  4. Support children’s mental and emotional well-being by building confidence, resilience, teamwork, and social skills through sport.
  5. Promote equal participation opportunities for girls and boys.
  6. Strengthen school and community capacity to deliver sustainable physical activity and education programmes even after the project ends.

Project content     

Ti Mouvman Fun-Da-Mentals will deliver a structured, school-based physical education programme across 16 primary schools in underserved communities.

Key activities will include:

  • Regular structured physical activity sessions that are age-appropriate, inclusive and aligned with the children’s developmental needs.
  • Fundamental movement and motor skills activities, including jumping, hopping, skipping, balancing, running, throwing, catching, kicking, dancing, obstacle courses and active games. These activities build physical literacy and confidence in movement.
  • An introduction to football through play, using small-sided games and basic skills exercises to promote teamwork, communication and enjoyment rather than competition.
  • Inclusive programming, with strategies such as mixed-gender activities, girl-friendly coaching approaches and targeted encouragement to ensure that 50% of girls participate.
  • Providing training and simple activity guides for mentors, coaches, teachers and community stakeholders, enabling schools to sustain quality physical education beyond the life of the project.
  • Community engagement activities, including parent and guardian movement days and physical activity events, to strengthen local support for active lifestyles.
  • Monitoring and simple progress tracking, including attendance records, participation levels and basic motor skills assessments, to ensure quality delivery and continuous improvement.

Together, these activities will ensure that children not only move more, but move better, and that they build confidence and experience sport as a positive and integral part of their everyday lives.

Partner

Aktive Jen Yo (Activating young people

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Rural Haiti, including Leogane, Destra, Carrefour Croix and Bossan
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €336,080
Foundation funding €55,657
Project identifier 2025000932
Partners Global Outreach And Love of Soccer (GOALS Haiti)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Haiti is facing a prolonged, multidimensional crisis marked by widespread insecurity, economic collapse, and the near absence of public services. Gang violence, political instability, inflation exceeding 40%, food insecurity, and recurring health emergencies (including cholera outbreaks) have deeply affected daily life, particularly for children and young adults. While international attention focuses on urban centres, rural communities are often overlooked. In the areas where GOALS Haiti operates, there are no other youth services, access to education and healthcare is limited, and children have very few safe spaces to gather, learn or play.

These conditions place children and adolescents at heightened risk of trauma, poor health, school dropout, gender-based violence, and social isolation. Without positive alternatives, young people are increasingly vulnerable to negative coping mechanisms or forced migration to unsafe urban areas.

Project goals

  • Improve the health and well-being of children and young adults in rural Haiti by ensuring regular access to safe sport, play, health education, and nutrition in communities where no other youth services exist
  • Expand access to education and learning opportunities for underserved young people by reducing barriers to schooling and strengthening literacy, academic skills and life skills through integrated sport-based programming
  • Help young people to develop confidence, leadership skills, and positive life pathways so that they can make informed decisions, contribute to their communities, and shape their own futures
  • Promote gender equality and inclusion through sport and education by ensuring girls and boys participate equally and by creating leadership opportunities for girls and young women
  • Strengthen community cohesion and youth civic engagement by engaging young people in community service and environmental action that improves local conditions, and fosters shared responsibility

 

Project content

Aktive Jen Yo is built around daily football and inclusive purposeful play sessions that provide children and adolescents with safe, consistent spaces where they regain a sense of normalcy and learn teamwork, discipline, communication and respect. The sessions are intentionally designed to include girls and boys equally and to model positive social norms through play.

Alongside sport, the project delivers integrated education and life-skills programming. Young people participate in literacy classes, tutoring and school support to strengthen reading, numeracy and critical thinking skills. Life-skills education – including leadership, problem-solving, conflict resolution, gender equality and decision-making – is embedded within both classroom sessions and on-field activities, reinforcing learning through practical experience.

Health education is a core component: trained staff and partners lead sessions on hygiene, disease prevention, sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence awareness. Participants also receive a daily meal and access to clean drinking water during activities, supporting their physical health and concentration while reinforcing healthy habits.

The project places a strong emphasis on youth leadership, community service and environmental action. Young people take part in leadership workshops and lead community projects addressing local needs, such as tree planting, recycling initiatives and maintaining community gardens. These activities encourage civic responsibility, strengthen community ties and give the youngsters visible roles as contributors and leaders within their villages.

All activities are delivered by a locally led team of trained coaches, educators and community leaders, ensuring cultural relevance and responding to community needs. Regular monitoring, feedback from participants and community involvement guide ongoing adaptations and improvements to the activities provided.

 

Partner

Creating a safe play space for refugee children in Boa Vista

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Waraotuma a Tuaranoko refugee shelter in Boa Vista, Brazil
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €175,958
Foundation funding €120,000
Project identifier 2025001012
Partners KLABU Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Over 6 million Venezuelans have been displaced due to an ongoing socio-economic crisis in Venezuela. The most vulnerable include indigenous groups such as the Warao, Pemon, and Kariña, who face severe marginalisation. Many of them have found refuge in Brazil.

KLABU has opened a clubhouse at Waraotuma a Tuaranoko, a shelter that is home to 1,300 refugees (800 of whom are minors), making it the largest shelter for indigenous refugees in Latin America. However, the only community sports pitch in the shelter is in poor condition and poses safety risks.

Project goals

  • Construct a safe, inclusive, and community-designed sports pitch at the Waraotuma a Tuaranoko shelter using love.fútbol’s participatory methodology.
  • Enable regular sports and recreational activities for children and young people from refugee and host communities.
  • Foster social inclusion and resilience through tournaments, events, and volunteer-led
  • Create local ownership and sustainability by engaging refugee volunteers and the local partner in maintenance and ongoing programming.

Project content

In partnership with love.fútbol, KLABU aims to rebuild the main sports pitch at the Waraotuma a Tuaranoko shelter and to make it a sustainable hub for sport and community. In addition, they will upgrade nearby infrastructure (a volleyball court, seating around the court, and a play area) and organise inclusive activities that will also be open to people from the six other nearby shelters. KLABU’s clubhouse is already active, and the new sports facilities will offer safe, inclusive spaces where children thrive, and community pride grows.

Partner

The Green Side – football against crime in Medellin 

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location El Pinar and El Limonar, Medellin, Colombia
Start date 01/16/2025
End date Ongoing
Cost of the project €109,128
Foundation funding €85,049
Project identifier 2024000488 
Partners Ankla Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Gang-related crime is a growing problem across the world. Known as the capital of violence and cocaine use, the Colombian city of Medellin is home to over 100 gangs that recruit teenage children to carry out criminal activities (murder, drug dealing, armed robbery, prostitution, etc.). Football has been found to be highly effective in protecting young people in vulnerable neighbourhoods against recruitment by armed gangs.   

Project goals

  • Prevent children being recruited by criminal gangs  
  • Promote social transformation and peaceful coexistence in vulnerable neighbourhoods
  • Improve children’s physical and mental health  
  • Promote children’s rights and psychosocial care  
  • Empower children and foster their personal development  

Project content

The project will reach 320 children (30% of them girls) in two vulnerable neighbourhoods in the outskirts of Medellin, with the following activities run in each one by football coaches, psychologists and social workers:  

  • Five weekly football training sessions
  • Participation in different leagues 
  • Eight psychosocial workshops a month for children and/or families, promoting psychological well-being, social cohesion and non-violent conflict resolution 
  • Individual psychosocial support when required, for example for victims of domestic abuse and children who are struggling academically 

Partners

Goals for children, equity and the environment

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Nicoya Peninsula, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Start date 09/14/2020
End date Ongoing
Cost of the project €210,000
Foundation funding €20,000
Project identifier 2024000308
Partners Fútbol por mi país
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Costa Rica faces several economic, social and environmental challenges that are hindering its growth and development. Rural areas and marginalised communities, especially women and children, are disproportionately affected. 

Project goals

  • Empower and educate children through football, giving them the tools needed to make informed life choices so that they can build a better future for themselves and their community 
  • Expand our programme within the communities that we currently serve to increase overall participation, including at least 40% girls and women, and to ensure more consistent attendance from all participants 
  • Encourage more parents and guardians to take part in our monthly family workshops 
  • Extend our reach to neighbouring communities such as Las Delicias and Valle Azul 
  • Offer more environmental activities such as beach clean-ups and recycling drives in partnership with other organisations to encourage people to be more environmentally conscious and empower them to make a difference 
  • Organise a tournament on the Nicoya Peninsula to increase engagement and promote the benefits of our programme 

Project content

Fútbol X Mi País (FxP) is a free after-school programme that offers children a safe space to learn, socialise and exercise. We use an approach developed by Fútbol con Corazón Colombia that combines football with learning and skills development to achieve our goals. The programme is centred around four fundamental values: honesty, tolerance, respect and solidarity. FxP also encourages participants to be environmentally conscious and take care of community assets. 

Our coaches work with teachers to ensure that programme participants are enrolled in school and we encourage parents and local businesses to get involved.  

  • Learning through football 

Certified coaches run eight to ten monthly sessions that promote personal development and life skills training through football. After each 90-minute session, participants discuss and reflect on what they have learnt to deepen their understanding of the topic. Local businesses, parents and volunteers prepare snacks, fostering a sense of community. 

At the end of the year, participants take part in a life project that encourages them to imagine and build a better future for themselves and their communities. 

Each year we focus on the programme’s fundamental values of honesty, tolerance, respect and solidarity, while also teaching teamwork, non-violence and gender equality, healthy and responsible sexual relationships and drug and alcohol awareness.  

  • Inclusive football matches  

We organise two inclusive, non-traditional football matches a month. Participants decide on the match rules and then play in mixed teams without a referee. They are responsible for following and enforcing these rules to ensure a fair and respectful game. After the match, they evaluate and assess their behaviour, which helps them to embody these values and learn from the experience. 

  • Family workshops 

Once a month, our coaches meet with the participants’ families to discuss and review the work being done on the field and to help families gain a deeper understanding of the methodology behind our programme.  

During the sessions we address any concerns about the participants’ education and give the families tasks to complete at home, creating meaningful opportunities to apply and reinforce what the children have learned in their daily lives. We also use these sessions to encourage parents to volunteer and support our coaches. 

  • Environmental education sessions and sustainability activities  

We organise public clean-ups of football fields, parks, streets and beaches alongside football practice to benefit our community. We also run educational workshops on the importance of recycling and reducing our environmental impact. These activities encourage environmental awareness, empower participants and help to maintain the beauty of our public spaces. Some of the beaches we have cleaned have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag status. This recognition strengthens community pride and fosters a sense of shared responsibility for the environment. 

  • Regional tournament   

We will organise a monthly regional tournament to engage new communities and football academies. This initiative will enable us to reach an additional 100+ children, fostering collaboration and participation among diverse groups, raising awareness of the benefits of our approach and ultimately contributing to children’s development in these communities. 

Partners

Andahuaylas Sinkumunchis School

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Peru
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/21/2025
Cost of the project €28,825
Foundation funding €20,075
Project identifier 2024001434
Partners Sinkumunchis
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

In the Andean regions of Peru, inequality between rural and urban communities is striking. Children and young adults from Quechua-speaking communities growing up in rural, high mountainous areas often have low self-esteem and believe that their culture, traditions and language are less worthy than those of their urban counterparts. Ethnicity is also a dividing factor. Sports initiatives delivered in their language can help these children to develop good habits and socioemotional skills, in turn improving their life prospects.

Sinkumunchis has established sports academies in three different districts of the Cusco region since 2021, and in 2024 they expanded to the mostly agricultural Andahuaylas province high in the mountains.

 

Project goals

  • Run the Sinkumunchis sports programme for 800 children and young people in the rural communities of Lliupapuquio and Champaccocha (San Jerónimo district, Andahuaylas province) for the second consecutive year
  • Take the programme to more rural communities in Andahuaylas province
  • Promote and develop the sports habits and socioemotional skills highlighted in the Sinkumunchis Methodology

Project content

  • Nine months of football training sessions twice a week in each of Liupapuquio and Champaccocha, open to boys and girls aged from 4 and 20 years old and led by football coaches or physical education teachers. Equipment and material is provided and the sessions follow the Sinkumunchis Methodology
  • Competitive boys’ and girls’ U8, U10, U13 and U16 leagues featuring monthly matches against teams from other districts, with referees, uniforms and awards provided by Sinkumunchis
  • Two interdisciplinary educational programmes per year, comprising workshops, tours, training modules and more
  • A second comparative investigation into the well-being of participants and non‑participants in Andahuaylas
  • Expansion to one or more neighbouring communities, such as Pacucha, Argama or Ankatira

Partners

Values on the Field: Football for social development and equity

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Argentina
Start date 01/02/2025
End date 06/30/2026
Cost of the project €280,055
Foundation funding €106,408
Project identifier 2024000047
Partners River Plate Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Context

The socioeconomic situation in Argentina is critical, with 54.3% of children living in poverty (INDEC, 2022), only 50% of young people completing high school education and basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics steadily declining (UNICEF, 2022). The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these inequalities. However, thanks to football’s popularity, educational sports projects are helping to reintegrate excluded children in marginalised areas of Argentina, ensuring long-term sustainability.

In Argentina, around 20,000 community clubs are playing a crucial role by providing vital social and recreational activities, giving many children a first opportunity to participate in sport and offering a space for community participation regardless of economic circumstances. They serve as safe havens that keep children off the streets, engage them in health-promoting activities and instil values essential for their adult lives.

Project goals

Overall goal

Improve the quality of life of children and their families by providing them with tools and skills to meet future challenges and integrate into society.

Specific objectives

  • Encourage and strengthen the holistic development of vulnerable children through educational projects
  • Train social leaders in the River Plate Foundation’s specific methodology
  • Use football as a tool for social engagement and value formation to empower children and their families to become agents of change in their communities
  • Generate opportunities for personal development and social integration

Project content

Values on the Field is a comprehensive programme designed to foster social development and equality through sport, specifically targeting children and young people between the ages of 6 and 14. The programme operates in seven Football and Values Schools, using a special methodology to provide a structured environment in which participants can engage in football and other sports activities that promote social and personal values. Inter-school meetings give the participants the chance to meet other children and put their skills into practice, and the foundation has also built five multi-sport courts. The programme emphasises the importance of integrating women and indigenous communities, ensuring inclusivity and diversity in all activities.

Partners

Child Rights and Football Curriculum

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Mexico
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €75,000
Foundation funding €75,000
Project identifier 2024000750
Partners Street Child United
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality

Context

Young people in Mexico are confronted by high levels of criminality and lack of awareness of their rights, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Without knowing what protection, support and resources are available to them, many children remain trapped in a cycle of vulnerability and marginalisation, with limited access to quality education. Girls are particularly hard hit, thousands of them unable to access the same rights and opportunities as boys their age.

Project goals

  • Train ten local football coaches and two master trainers to deliver a programme centred around children’s rights, using football to bring about social change
  • Reach over 1,400 vulnerable young people across six cities – Baja California Sur, Guanajuato, Mexico City, Nuevo León, Oaxaca and Quintana Roo – empowering them with knowledge of their rights
  • Equip local coaches and communities to manage and expand the initiative independently, to ensure a lasting impact

Project content

  • Curriculum design and research: Research will be conducted with local partners and designed in collaboration with Everton in the Community, the English Premier League club’s charitable arm, to design a children’s rights curriculum that is tailored to the local context.
  • Train-the-trainer programme: A six-day session will be organised in Mexico City to teach the ten local coaches and two master trainers the curriculum, provide them with essential safeguarding training and monitoring and evaluation techniques, and prepare them to engage with children, earning their trust and encouraging participation from boys and girls.
  • Curriculum delivery: The eight-week curriculum will be implemented in six cities, combining football drills and exercises and discussions on the topic of children’s rights.
  • Sustainability: The local coaches will be empowered to independently manage and deliver the curriculum and use the train-the-trainer model to train additional community coaches.
  • Evaluation and reporting: A thorough, ongoing evaluation of the programme will ensure adjustments and improvements can be made as required.

Partners

UniDeportes: Football for rural youth empowerment

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Honduras, Trinidad, Santa Bàrbara
Start date 03/31/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €96,381
Foundation funding €56,381
Project identifier 2024001385
Partners educate.
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Honduras has the highest rate of economic inequality in Latin America and over 60% of the population lives in poverty. The NGO educate. is based in the rural department of Santa Bárbara, where barely half of young people continue their studies after primary school. For those who do stay in school, there are few opportunities that encourage personal development, a sense of belonging and meaningful community engagement. Sport plays both an educational and a social role and can help young people to develop values, skills and confidence they can use on and off the pitch.

Project goals

  • Help young people to develop a sense of unity and community belonging through sport
  • Support young people to develop core values and soft skills, such as leadership, teamwork and communication through sport, community events and monthly workshops
  • Train young people to lead local sports activities, helping them to gain leadership skills, confidence and practical experience
  • Encourage young people to get involved in their communities by organising and leading community sports events
  • Create spaces for children and teenagers in local rural communities to participate in sport and community events
  • Actively promote gender equality by ensuring at least 50% of programme participants are girls

Project content

Using educate.’s youth centre in the rural town of Trinidad, Santa Bárbara, which has access to a community football pitch, the following four elements combine to provide a holistic sports programme for rural youngsters that fosters positive values, soft skills and gender equity.

1) UniDeportes sports programme for youth leaders

Activities will be run every Saturday following the training of three youth leaders. These activities will focus on football but also explore other sports, encouraging participants to lead active, healthy lifestyles. In addition, these sessions will focus on building soft skills, particularly leadership skills, through sport, as well as giving young people a sense of community and helping them to work as a team. These young leaders will also receive monthly workshops on a range of personal development topics, ensuring they are supported in their own development.

2) Monthly rural community sports events

Project participants, led by youth leaders, will organise and lead monthly sports events, such as community and village sports days. The NGO educate. works in a number of remote, rural and marginalised communities, whose children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to losing out on educational and extracurricular opportunities such as sport.

3) Football teams for children and teenagers

The project will set up six mixed gender football teams in Trinidad, each with weekly training sessions. The teams will cover a range of age categories from 6 to 18.

4) The first youth football league in Trinidad, Santa Bárbara

The project will organise and run the first youth football league in Trinidad. This will be a significant opportunity for children and teenagers from rural areas to participate in an organised football league, the first of its kind in this part of the country.

Partners

Aktive Jen Yo (Activating young people)

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Haiti, Villages of Destra, Carrefour Croix and Bossan, near Léogâne
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €389,655
Foundation funding €55,200
Project identifier 2024000247
Partners GOALS Haiti (Global Outreach and Love of Soccer)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Haiti faces extreme crises: unprecedented insecurity, gang violence, absence of government, severe fuel shortages, 40% inflation and a cholera epidemic, all amid ongoing natural disasters. Women and children are subjected to gang violence and assault, with obvious and very harmful effects on their physical and mental health, not to mention the collective anxiety and trauma of the country as a whole.

GOALS serves communities in rural Haiti where no other non-profits or government services exist, people suffer from isolation and extreme poverty, and children’s access to healthcare and education is extremely limited.

GOALS was created to use the power of sport to engage young people in underserved areas with education and leadership opportunities that support their physical, mental and social development. Aktive Jen Yo includes daily football, ‘purposeful play’, literacy and health education and community service. We focus on teaching social and life skills in a safe and empowering space, with equal access for girls and boys.

Project goals

Overall goal

Empower the young people of Haiti through structured football programmes combined with educational and health initiatives, leveraging the universal appeal of football to engage children and adolescents from underserved communities in support of their physical, mental and social development

Specific objectives

  • Physical health: Improve young people’s fitness and health awareness through regular football training and wellness activities
  • Education: Provide educational workshops and literacy classes to plug formal schooling gaps
  • Life skills: Cultivate leadership, teamwork and problem-solving through sport and targeted life skills training
  • Mental health: Offer mental health workshops and counselling sessions to support emotional well-being
  • Community engagement: Initiate community service projects to foster a sense of civic responsibility and investments in community

Project content

  • Football – daily training, friendly matches and tournaments plus ‘purposeful play’ (conflict resolution, gender equality)
  • Health education – disease prevention, sex education, gender-based violence, hygiene
  • Climate action – tree planting, recycling, community gardens, climate and gender education
  • Leadership training – projects addressing community issues led by youngsters
  • Schooling – literacy programme, tutoring
  • Community service – volunteering projects
  • Gender equity – activities to promote inclusion and equal opportunities for girls, plus education on children’s and women’s rights

Partners

StationSoccer – HE Holmes

Location and general information

to be started
Location USA; Atlanta
Start date 04/15/2025
End date 12/15/2025
Cost of the project €95,496
Foundation funding €27,232
Project identifier 2024000858
Partners Soccer in the streets
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Atlanta has the highest income inequality of any city in the United States. This, combined with the ‘pay-to-play’ model that dominates football activities in the US, means children in underserved communities are locked out of participation. These children need affordable programmes in safe, accessible locations. Soccer in the Streets provides just that with StationSoccer.

StationSoccer – HE Holmes is located at the subway station of that name in the Collier Heights neighbourhood of Atlanta. With a per capita income of $33,759 (€33,068) and a poverty rate of 25%, it is one of the most underinvested communities in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. The project will provide Soccer in the Streets’ unique combination of football training and social and emotional capacity building to 150 six to twelve-year-olds. It is estimated that 80% of participants will be African American, 40% of the participants are girls and the vast majority will be playing football for the first time.

Project goals

  • Provide access
    • Eliminate transport obstacles and cost barriers
  • Improve well-being
    • Integrate social and emotional learning into the football curriculum
    • Train coaches to follow the curriculum and recognise adverse childhood experiences

Project content

Football and social and emotional learning sessions

  • Two 2-hour training sessions a week, with matches on Saturdays
  • Total of 26 weeks of training over the year (spring season from 15 February to 15 May, and autumn season from 15 August to 15 November)
  • Incorporation of social and emotional learning in training sessions, with a focus on resilience, self-management, social awareness, decision-making and relationships

Coach training

  • Coach training session in July to help coaches follow the curriculum and recognise adverse childhood experiences

Partners

Game with Mum & Dad

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Europe, Latin America and Caribbean
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €599,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2024001152
Partners Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE)
Categories Gender Equality - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

More than 20 million children worldwide (2.1 million in Europe; 3.5 million in Latin America and Caribbean) are separated from an imprisoned parent, an experience that often causes children overwhelming sadness, grief and anxiety, in addition to the pains of stigmatisation and shame. There are few programmes structurally embedded within prisons that support children with imprisoned parents. Their rights and best interests deserve much greater attention from governments and society at large.

Project goals

GWMD uses football as an instrument for awareness-raising and societal progress with three main objectives:

  • To defend the rights and best interests of a particularly vulnerable population representing more than 1% of the world child population.
  • To support children's wellbeing by strengthening the child-parent bond imperilled by a parent’s detention.
  • To foster inclusion and empower children, despite the existence of prison walls and by working with prison authorities.

 

Project content

GWMD supports the all-important child-parent bond by bringing families together for a day of play, hugs and laughs. It builds on a model first developed in Italy and recently broadened in 2023 and 2024 to 10 other European nations as well as India. In 2025 we plan to expand to Argentina, Chile, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, for a total of 21 countries. We apply the same methodology everywhere to ensure that child rights, child participation and child safeguarding remain paramount.

Partners

Campo do Sancho

Location and general information

Closed
Location Brazil, Recife, Pernambuco
Start date 04/01/2024
End date 08/31/2025
Cost of the project €114,575
Foundation funding €80,000
Project identifier 20230618
Partners love.fútbol
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

In Brazil, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2020), 47% of the public schools have no sports infrastructure and 78% (2019) of the children and 84% of teenagers do less exercise than what is recommended by WHO.

Project goals

The project will take place in Sancho, a community that represents the reality of the lack of play spaces and quality education in northeastern Brazil.

  • Use love.fútbol's award-winning methodology and 16 years of experience developing community-driven sports spaces to create a football facility in an underserved community
  • Engage the local community and enable it to build and take ownership of this space as a platform dedicated to sports, and education
  • Deliver bi-weekly ‘sports for education’ sessions to 60 children
  • Partner with the city hall and the local organisation Cores do Amanhã to keep the space safe and provide a daily schedule

Project content

love.fútbol will promote a cross-sector partnership between Recife city hall, local grassroots non-profit organisation Cores do Amanhã, and a broader range of community leaders, groups, businesses, and organisations to plan, refurbish and reactivate a historic football pitch that will serve as a sustainable platform for sports and educational sessions, a point of integration between various sectors of the community, and a reference for municipal, state and regional public policy. The ‘Campo do Sancho’ will be more than a place to play, but a local hub for education, social coexistence and peace.

Partner

Inclusive Goal

Location and general information

Closed
Location Argentina, Buenos Aires
Start date 02/01/2024
End date 02/01/2025
Cost of the project €126,000
Foundation funding €60,000
Project identifier 20231168
Partners Asociacion Civil Andar
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

People with disabilities are excluded from our society and need to have access to normalised spaces. Social barriers segregate them and deprive them of the opportunity to develop in the various spheres of social life. This impacts their development and imposes limits on their opportunities to carry out a life plan freely and independently.

Project goals

  • Eliminate cultural barriers to access sports development
  • Build role models that promote gender equality and equal access regardless of gender
  • Promote empowerment by practising decision-making and its consequences through play

Project content

We at Andar FC Academy believe that one of the best ways to positively impact the lives of children is through play, thereby developing the values and life skills that enable them to cope with the challenges of their environment Our approach through sport contributes to children’s inclusion, promotes the respect of their rights and gender equality, prevents situations of violence and encourages development of life skills, which will have a positive impact on their sports and socioemotional development. No child or adolescent should be left behind, regardless of ability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture or religion, so all of our activities are tailored to meet their specific learning and skill needs.

Partner

Art and sport therapy to enhance psychosocial reintegration programmes for former child soldiers in Colombia

Location and general information

Closed
Location Colombia, Cali and Medellin
Start date 07/01/2023
End date 06/30/2024
Cost of the project €79,496
Foundation funding €20,087
Project identifier 20230122
Partners WAPA International
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

During the five decades of armed conflict in Colombia, virtually all the armed groups recruited children as soldiers, both in villages and towns. It is estimated that nearly 18,000 children were recruited. Children joined these armed groups for a variety of reasons: challenging economic circumstances, domestic violence, lack of opportunities, desire for revenge, threats and forced recruitment.

Project goals

The Kuakumun and Arteuma programmes are designed to improve the life trajectories of former child soldiers and help them to realise their personal and social potential through art and sport. The goal is for them to develop the skills they need to reintegrate into civil society, gain employment and regain their civil rights and responsibilities.

Project content

The Arteuma programme, at a reintegration centre in Cali, and the Kuakumun programme, at a reintegration centre in Medellin, are aimed at male and female teenagers who have left armed guerrilla groups and feature two main strands:

Art therapy

This approach uses music, dance, plastic arts, theatre and embroidery sessions to help participants:

  • improve their self-awareness and self-confidence
  • discover talents other than fighting and new possibilities for the future
  • learn to control their aggression
  • develop tolerance, patience and concentration
  • heal their wounds and move forward
  • learning to build instead of destroy
  • work as part of a team, respecting differences and relating to others without rivalry
  • overcome shyness and make friends

The teenagers will be taken to museums and will attend events where they will present their artwork to other young people and meet professional artists. These exchanges will help to restore their pride and enable them to be seen as something other than ex-child soldiers.

Sport therapy

An interdisciplinary team of psychosocial workers and professional sports coaches will run weekly introductory sessions and training in football, swimming and martial arts. All the necessary equipment will be provided. The teenagers will go on educational outings, meet elite athletes and participate in a tournament.

Through sports, the teenagers will:

  • strengthen their interpersonal skills and learn how to work together
  • learn how to rebuild relationships
  • enhance their self-esteem and social skills
  • improve their mental and physical health
  • learn to recognise their limitations
  • learn to accept their bodies

Partners

Futbol KY

Location and general information

Closed
Location Guatemala, Guatemala City
Start date 01/04/2024
End date 12/15/2024
Cost of the project €36,150
Foundation funding €25,000
Project identifier 20230556
Partners Asociación de Maestros de Educación Temprana Plantando Semillas
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

In Zone 3 of Guatemala City, over 10,000 internally displaced families are living next to the garbage dump. The level of poverty and the lack of education and parental support creates a fertile ground for community violence and substance abuse. The prevalence of violence endangers children and teenagers, putting their future at risk.

 

Project goals

  • Provide at-risk children and teenagers with a way to escape violence by engaging them in healthy recreation through sport and supporting their education
  • Provide a football training programme to improve players' football skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship through structured training, while fostering friendship and discipline
  • Boost academic success, reinforce the importance of education, and support youngsters with spaces and opportunities to nurture the skills they need to succeed
  • Ensure that Futbol KY participants have access to additional services, including psychosocial care and parental support for their caregivers, through the Fathers’ Group and Motivated Women Programme

Project content

Futbol KY combines football training, academic support and parental groups to create a well-rounded development experience.

Football training programmes emphasise not only physical improvement but also discipline, friendship, and character development.

Alongside football training, the project prioritises academic success. We offer tutoring sessions, creating a comprehensive approach to physical and intellectual development.

To establish a supportive environment, the project includes two parental support groups: the Motivated Women Programme and the Fathers’ Group.

Recognising the need for psychosocial support, we provide a space to improve participants’ psychological well-being and mental health.

Partner