Football for All in Vietnam

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Vietnam
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €81,500
Foundation funding €42,000
Project identifier 20210432
Partners Football Association of Norway/Football for All in Vietnam
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

The Vietnamese cultural preference for boys in ethnic minority areas, together with the belief that only men can perform ancestral rites, has given boys and men more socio-cultural benefits than girls and women. Due to the socially constructed norms related to gender, girls are expected to grow up to be wives and mothers. As a result, girls are denied an education, forced into early marriage, and have limited opportunities to advance in other aspects of society. In many communities, the belief that ‘football is for boys; not for girls’ is basic gender discrimination that restricts, excludes, and denies girls’ rights.

Project content

FFAV utilises a football programme with life skills education as a focal point to change community perceptions of gender roles. It offers equal opportunities for boys and girls on the football pitch and in a life skills education programme.

Objectives

Raise awareness of equal rights and foster gender rights practices in ethnic minority groups to increase the equal participation of women and girls in football, empower them and equip them with leadership skills.

Project activities

  • Set up football clubs
  • Organise football training sessions for PE teachers – priority given to female teachers
  • Organise life skills training sessions for female teachers who will then educate girls in life skills
  • Develop a FFAV life skills toolkit and social campaign messages with events to promote equal rights in the community
  • Organise regular activities at clubs

Expected results

  • 19 football clubs with the participation of 1,520 girls and 1,520 boys
  • 1,520 girls equipped with knowledge about gender rights and life skills
  • 114 teachers trained as football coaches/referees
  • 58 female teachers trained as life skills facilitators/master trainers
  • 3,800 community members exposed to social campaign on gender rights/equality through club activities
  • 19,120 children experience football and life skills through 38 Fun Football Festivals and 2,736 football sessions
  • Gender equality education materials distributed

Partner

MINE/ COVID-19 Risk Education

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Cambodia
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €129,520
Foundation funding €129,520
Project identifier 20210613
Partners Spirit of Soccer
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

For over 30 years, Cambodia has suffered from landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Children are the most vulnerable and account for over 50% of the casualties.

Survivors are left maimed and traumatised, often removed from school, depriving them of an education, then further stigmatised as a burden to both their family and the broader community.

Since the Spirit of Soccer programme started in Cambodia in 2006, the land mine casualty rate has dropped from 875 to 65 per year in 2020. In simple terms, without our intervention, these and similar tragedies would continue unchecked.

 

Project content

Our mission is to use soccer to educate children living in conflict and post-conflict regions about the dangers of landmines, ERW and COVID-19.

We educate, train and employ local coaches and teachers to use our curriculum. The easy-to-understand football-related lessons teach children how to identify and avoid specific risks and unexploded ordnance. The culturally sensitive, fun and inclusive, approach creates a safe environment that provides healthy physical activity, hope and happiness.

Objectives

  • 14,000 youngsters (60% Male/40% Female) involved in professionally delivered football activities
  • 40,000 indirect beneficiaries of education and coaching workshops, local tournaments, peer-to-peer and multimedia campaigns, kits and outreach materials (posters and notebooks)
  • 60 local coaches trained in COVID-19 and ERW risk education, youth coaching at D licence level
  • Candidates for the workshops will include 25 Khmer United Nations peacekeeping deminers at the request of the ministry of defence

Project activities

  • Running coaching clinics through local schools in mine-impacted communities for 14,000 at-risk children
  • Expansion of field educational materials for ERW accidents and COVID-19 prevention measures to indirectly reach 40,000 youngsters
  • Ongoing liaison with the national Mine Action working group
  • Organising three football tournaments involving 150 players each (60% boys, 40% girls), delivering football coaching, ERW accident and COVID-19 risk reduction education
  • Preparedness training and education materials for players
  • Door-to-door training in the event of school closures

Expected results

  • Distribute 400 footballs and 14,000 ERW notebooks through coaching clinics and tournaments
  • Reach a target of 14,000 direct and 40,000 indirect participants, within a wide demographic of coaches and leaders, local youngsters, adults, educators, ministry officials and ERW working groups

Partner

Football4Good

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Thailand, Chiang Mai
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €30,288
Foundation funding €30,288
Project identifier 20210567
Partners Baan Dek Foundation (BDF)
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Tens of thousands of migrant children live in construction site camps throughout Thailand. The Baan Dek Foundation (BDF) supports over 1,650 of these children each year. The children live in slum-like conditions and face difficulties accessing healthcare and education systems. In addition, they have few opportunities to engage socially and connect with their peers, and the restrictions required in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic have left them even more isolated.

Project content

The Football4Good (F4G) project supports children and teenagers living in construction site camps, reaching 600+ children per year through sport sand youth empowerment activities to provide positive social opportunities and physical and mental benefits, promote gender equality, and facilitate integration by teaching youngsters life skills, respect and sporting values.

Objectives

  • Access to sport: F4G provides football sessions and matches, sports equipment and improvements to community.
  • Youth empowerment: Young people are trained as youth peer educators (YPEs), so that they can run football sessions and act as role.
  • Social and life skills: F4G presents an inclusive avenue for children to play an active role in community life and teaches them life.
  • Gender equality: F4G promotes gender equality in sport by eliminating barriers and preventing.

Project activities

  • Monthly after-school football sessions in priority construction site camp communities.
  • Weekly after-school football sessions in schools and a government institution.
  • Quarterly inter-community football matches.
  • 8 youth leadership training / refresher sessions for YPEs.
  • Monthly YPE follow-up meetings with BDF staff.
  • YPEs attend a professional football match with BDF staff.
  • Improvements to community sports spaces.
  • Sports equipment donated to communities.

Expected results

  • 120 F4G sessions delivered.
  • 500 children encouraged to play football.
  • 200 girls encouraged to play football.
  • 5 communities where sports facilities will be improved.
  • 300 people benefiting from improved facilities.
  • 40 YPEs receiving training/refresher courses.
  • 25 YPE follow-up meetings.
  • 4 inter-community matches.

Partner

Football United Myanmar

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Myanmar
Start date 02/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €75,000
Foundation funding €65,000
Project identifier 20210751
Partners Football United (University of New South Wales)
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims

Context

Football United (FU) brought the sport for development and peace (S4DP) concept and practice to Myanmar in 2013 and has since then worked with various in-country partners across the country, introducing S4DP in four thematic areas: football for youth leadership and life skills development; social cohesion; resilience building; and psychological support.

The violent crackdown following the coup in 2021 caused people to flee to areas controlled by armed ethnic organisations. Kayin is one of the few states where people have been able to seek refuge, with many living in refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border. Social, emotional, and basic needs are critical. Operating in the state since 2016, Football United provides staff and logistics to address many of these needs.

Project content

FU has developed special learning materials to help young people and communities to build up resilience, life skills and psychological support through specially designed football activities.

Objectives

  • Engage the conflict-affected communities in specially designed playing opportunities and football-based behaviour-change mechanisms to improve resilience and reduce vulnerability;
  • Build capacity and a flow-on effect in the broader conflict-affected communities, enabling them to recover from trauma and other stresses and faster develop more sustainable solutions to crises.

Project activities

  • Situation analysis: roles, contributions of key stakeholders; sites in addition to the FU Peace Centre; SWOT;
  • Develop tailor-made curriculums including virtual delivery mechanisms;
  • Staff/volunteer induction course delivered either face-to-face or online depending on circumstances;
  • Weekly football-based resilience activities;
  • Fair play tournaments delivered quarterly, conditions permitting;
  • Training of trainers: community members trained to develop future programmes.

Expected results

  • Kayin state has more safe spaces for community members to play and heal;
  • Participating youngsters and coaches experienced an increased sense of hope and healing, through positive changes in attitudes, beliefs, community solidarity actions. Quantitative result: at least 50% improvement compared to baseline figures;
  • Mechanisms introduced for mutual support and continuing engagement of partners: Red Cross branch leaders, IDP camp and conflict-affected non-IDP community leaders to further develop football-based psychological support and resilience-building in their communities.

Partner

Live together II

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Turkey and Syria
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 10/30/2022
Cost of the project €200,000
Foundation funding €200,000
Project identifier 20210900
Partners Bonyan Organization for Youth and Development
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The Syrian refugee crisis remains the largest humanitarian and development crisis in the world. Across the five main Syrian-refugee hosting countries, over 10 million people need some form of humanitarian and resilience support, the highest number in nearly a decade. This includes 5.5 million Syrian refugees and 4.8 million impacted host community members.

The key underlying issues are large-scale protracted displacement, socio-economic conditions, COVID-19 and demographic pressures. Turkey currently hosts approximately 3.6 million refugees, the majority of whom live out-of-camp, integrated into host (Turkish) communities in cities and villages. Both communities therefore share the same environment and resources.

Project content

The Live Together II project is a continuation of the 2019 Live Together project. Work will be done in schools to disseminate and mainstream football3 culture among teachers, who in turn will pass it on to the children. Capacity-building courses will be held, playgrounds rehabilitated and brochures, guidebooks and sports supplies distributed.

Children with special needs will also be included in the sports activities. Girls’ and boys’ football teams will be set up to involve girls in sports activities, with the hope that this will lead to wider inclusion of girls within the community. The project volunteers will receive training on child protection principles, awareness of child protection issues, the promotion of children’s rights and health tips to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Objectives

The project’s overall goal is to use football as a tool for building peaceful coexistence, as well as to improve the sports infrastructure in schools in the border towns of Akçakale in Turkey and Tal Abyad in Syria.

Project activities

  • Playground rehabilitation: Playgrounds in five schools – in each country - will be rehabilitated so that children attending and living near the school can play sports, which will improve their life skills and promote peaceful coexistence.
  • Teacher capacity-building: The teacher training programme will last four days and focus on mainstreaming the football3 methodology as well as other social cohesion activities that can be integrated into classwork.
  • Capacity-building for youth mediators: Youth mediators will volunteer as coaches in the football3 leagues. They will prepare and facilitate the football3 sessions, mediate any conflicts arising between the teams and act as positive role models for the children.
  • Running football3 leagues: Football3 leagues will be set up: one in Turkey and one in Syria. All teams will include both Turkish and Syrian children. Children will play in a safe environment where they will have fun, learn life skills and build their resilience. The volunteer coaches will discuss well-being with the children to provide them with psychosocial support.

Expected results

  • Playgrounds will be rehabilitated in five schools in Turkey and Syria.
  • 100 teachers will be provided with training on football3 and sports for children.
  • 240 children will take part in football3 games in Turkey and Syria.
  • 80 young people will play an active role in their communities and receive training on football3 methodology, leadership and conflict resolution.

Partner

BRACE

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Beirut, Lebanon
Start date 02/01/2022
End date 01/31/2023
Cost of the project €183,000
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 20210392
Partners INTERSOS
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

The current deterioration of the economic crisis in Lebanon puts children and teenagers at greater risk of abuse, violence and exploitation. According to the recently published emergency response plan, there is a growing need for protection among Lebanese and migrant children. This creates risks of social tensions among different communities based on their perceptions of access to available services. The child protection sector in Lebanon reports an increased need for psychosocial support services. Additionally, there are growing numbers of children engaged in child labour. Due to the closure of schools due to COVID-19 and the deterioration of the economic crisis, many children in Syrian refugee communities, but also Lebanese and other migrants, are engaged in child labour to support their families. One of the ways humanitarian actors can meet the increasing needs for protection services, including psychosocial support, is by providing safe spaces for children, where they can take part in sports and recreational activities run by child-protection specialists.

Project content

The project BRACE, Beirut Rehabilitation of Recreational Areas for Children and Equality, aims to enhance protection and social cohesion in vulnerable areas of Mount Lebanon governorate, by providing access to a safe and secure playing field for children, where they can have fun, engage in sports activities and interact with members of different communities (refugee, migrant, host). It will be run in partnership with the local municipality and a community-based organisation to ensure its sustainability beyond the project period.

Main communication message - the well-being of vulnerable children can also be protected through access to sport.

Objectives

The overall project objective is to enhance child protection and social cohesion in vulnerable areas of Mount Lebanon governorate in Lebanon.

  • Provide a safe space where children can play and engage in sports and other recreational activities;
  • Help a community-based organisation run sports and recreational activities for children and teenagers.

Project activities

Rehabilitation of an existing playing field

  • Painting, installing walls and roofing;
  • Installing artificial grass, football goals and basketball hoops;
  • Lighting with solar panels to ensure safety and sustainability despite the worsening energy crisis;
  • -Rehabilitating WASH facilities.

Support for a community-based organisation providing

  • Sports, arts, psychosocial activities;
  • Solidarity initiatives for migrants, refugees, host-community children.

Expected results

  • A playing field in Mount Lebanon governorate is rehabilitated and upgraded, providing a safe recreational space for all communities, especially children and teenagers;
  • 200 children and teenagers are engaged in sports and art activities by the local community-based organisation supporting social inclusion and well-being at community level;
  • A community-based organisation is supported and able to provide regular sports and recreational activities for children from different communities.

Partner

Education, empowerment and employability for girls

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Pakistan
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €360,000
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 20210338
Partners Right To Play
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Pakistan is at the bottom of international rankings on quality, equity and access to education. Children and young people living in urban slums are among the most vulnerable, with COVID-19 aggravating the situation, especially for girls.

According to the national 2021 Annual Status of Education Report, as schools reopened after COVID-19 closures, dropout by girls increased by 5% in primary schools and 10% in secondary schools. Additionally, the participation of girls in employability training in technical and vocational institutes fell by 25% in comparison to 2019.

Of the 12 million home-based workers in Pakistan, 80% are estimated to be women – the majority of whom faced pay cuts and layoffs due to a slowdown in economic activity. This illustrates the need for tailored programmes that focus on education and employability skills for girls to help them secure better jobs and retain them in the wake of such crises.

Project content

Education, empowerment and employability are the core objectives of the Goal project, which aims to equip girls with the knowledge and skills they need to build better futures for themselves and their communities.

The project includes:

  • a girls’ education and empowerment module focusing on self-awareness, health and hygiene, girls’ rights, and financial literacy;
  • football, basketball and volleyball sessions carefully designed in line with a sport for development (SFD) approach to teach social, physical, cognitive and emotional life skills alongside athletic skills.

Objectives

The two-year project focuses on empowering 18,000 girls aged 11–16 in 70 public schools in Karachi and Islamabad to exercise agency over their bodies and lives. It aims to achieve this by creating greater access to sport and play opportunities and by teaching financial literacy, employability, leadership and essential life skills.

Project activities

  • Training of volunteer coaches and physical education teachers in the Goal curriculum, football for development, gender equality, inclusion and child protection.
  • Regular sport and play-based sessions in schools conducted by trained coaches and teachers.
  • Sports tournaments, training camps, and thematic ‘play days’ to create awareness and dialogue in the community.
  • Junior leader clubs: select young people are helped to create school clubs and take the initiative to improve their school environment, assist coaches and encourage peer-to-peer learning.
  • Provision of equipment and rehabilitation of play spaces to facilitate safe and inclusive sessions in schools.

Expected results

  • Improved life skills (confidence, communication, leadership, decision-making, etc.) in 70% of girls.
  • Improved knowledge of budgeting, saving and other financial concepts in 70% of girls.
  • Ability to identify career goals and a better understanding of the trajectory towards strengthening their employability skills in 50% of girls.
  • Improved ability to take decisions related to agency over their bodies and lives in 40% of girls.

Partner

Playing for Equality: Making Equality a Reality

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Cambodia, Phnom Penh
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 03/31/2022
Cost of the project €23,450
Foundation funding €23,000
Project identifier 20201165
Partners Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF)
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

As Cambodia continues to recover from the impact of the Khmer Rouge’s destructive regime, corruption and inequality remain prevalent. 44% of children in Cambodia live in multidimensional poverty, experiencing barriers to childhood development such as malnutrition and poor sanitation. As a result, access to education and organised sports in disadvantaged communities is limited. This is especially the case for vulnerable groups such as girls and disabled children, who experience pervasive discrimination that often prohibits them from accessing their right to attend school and practice sports in safe environments. ISF Cambodia believes every child has the right to education, healthcare and play.

Project content

To challenge discrimination and promote the inclusion of minorities in sport, ISF Cambodia will partner with 15 schools and NGOs to provide football-for-good lessons to 300 children, including deaf and HIV-positive players. ISF’s experienced coaches will deliver ISF’s social outreach curriculum by using football-based activities to educate young players on gender equality, disability rights, and children’s rights. The project will culminate in a football festival that celebrates diversity and inclusion in sport.

Objectives

  • Increase youth access to sport across all genders and abilities.
  • Improve attitudes towards equal societies and inclusion in sport.
  • Provide a safe space for young people to explore social issues such as children’s rights, gender equality, disability and inclusion.
  • Empower girls and people with disabilities and HIV.

Project activities

  • Training ISF’s experienced coaches in ISF’s adapted social outreach curriculum, covering gender equality, disability rights, and children’s rights.
  • Delivering three sessions to 15 groups of 20 players – one group from each of the nine schools and six NGOs ISF will partner with.
  • Assessing changes in knowledge and attitude using comprehensive monitoring and evaluation tools.
  • Hosting a fun and celebratory football festival for all 300 players.

Expected results

  • 15 coaches will increase their capacity to deliver football-for-good sessions to players with a range of abilities.
  • 300 players will have greater access to organised sport activities.
  • 300 players will have a better understanding of minority rights and improved attitudes towards the inclusion of minorities in society and in sport.

Partner

Fundlife Dream Academy

Location and general information

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

Context

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

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

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

Project content

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

Objectives

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

Project activities

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

FROM TACLOBAN TO MOSCOW

Expected results

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

Partner

Football4Good

Location and general information

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

Context

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

Project content

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

Objectives

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

Project activities

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

Expected results

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

Partner

Education and sport for street-working children in Afghanistan

Location and general information

Closed
Location Afghanistan
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €296,936
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20200614
Partners Action for Development
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Violence, extreme poverty and food insecurity are everyday problems for many Afghans. The country’s critical situation, exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic, hits the most vulnerable groups, such as children, the hardest. The children who work on the streets have the starkest future prospects, due to their lack of access to education among other factors.

Project content

This project aims to improve the health, quality of life and access to education of children working on the streets in Afghanistan. Action for Development (AfD) has developed teacher training modules on literacy, numeracy, social behaviour, and advocating for children’s rights in Afghanistan. The focus is on empowering children with education, making the government aware of their special needs, providing meals and football lessons for their social development, and helping them to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

 

Objectives

  • Provide children working on the streets with access to a quality, tailor-made education programme, with the aim of improving their overall wellbeing in the short term, and reducing poverty and child labour in the long term.
  • Give 200 street-working children aged 5–13 access to education and food by the end of 2021.
  • Strengthen gender equality.
  • Further develop special training methodologies.
  • Adapt to the challenges posed by COVID-19.
  • Establish a vocational training programme for 20 students aged 14–15.

Project activities

  • Continuing to organise awareness sessions and promote education and sport for girls.
  • Continuing to provide one healthy meal per day to the children.
  • Increasing the number of football lessons to accommodate more children.
  • Improving the current teaching methodology and bringing the curriculum in line with the formal school curriculum.
  • Continuing to train the teachers to deliver student-centred lessons and learning through fun.
  • Training the teachers in special education provision and providing them with material for tailor-made classes for street-working children.
  • Providing English language training to teachers and children.
  • Prevent the spread of COVID-19 by reducing the number of students per classroom; providing hand sanitisers, face masks and thermometers; and designing a distance learning strategy in case of a new lockdown.
  • Recruiting new teachers.
  • Designing a vocational training programme for older students and working with local partners to design modules on in-demand skills (mechanics, carpentry, gem cutting, etc.).
  • Increasing synergies with local government schools to learn from their expertise, support AfD’s teachers and help integrate the children into the formal education system.
  • Identifying and setting up new centres close to the areas where children work.
  • Introducing regular health checks and proper growth monitoring and vaccinations in collaboration with AfD's Comprehensive Health Centre.
  • Equipping classrooms with technology (iPads/PCs and projectors).

Expected results

  • 200 children receive quality education, daily meals, health checks and play football.
  • 20 older students get access to vocational training.
  • Gender parity increases in classes and football training, most staff members are women and awareness of female education increases.
  • Teacher training is enhanced.
  • The curriculum is further aligned with the governmental one.
  • The project is resilient to COVID-19 challenges.

Partner

Open Fun Football Schools in Syria

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Syria
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 06/30/2021
Cost of the project €200,000
Foundation funding €200,000
Project identifier 20200868
Partners Cross Culture (CCPA)
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Syria is still one of the worst humanitarian crises in human history, with 6.1 million internally displaced people, including 2.5 million children.

Many families have started to return to their homes and are trying to get back to a ‘normal’ life. However, organised sports activities are still rarely accessible to children.

Project content

The Open Fun Football School initiative has proved to be an excellent tool to mobilise local communities and volunteer coaches in some of the most politically uncertain and conflict-sensitive areas across the world.

CCPA will use the Open Fun Football School (OFFS) initiative as a tool to enhance peace education, safeguarding and resilience among children and teenagers throughout Syria.

Objectives

The overall objective of Open Fun Football Schools in Syria is to enhance resilience and encourage a culture of peace and non-violence, gender equality, child protection, an appreciation of cultural and social diversity and of culture’s overall contribution to sustainable development.

    1. Mobilise a network of young Syrian leaders and coaches and build their capacity to independently organise Open Fun Football Schools and other community-based fun football activities
    2. Organising Open Fun Football Schools and other fun football activities for children aged 6-12
    3. Anchoring the network in sustainable and community-based clubs that organise day-to-day Open Fun Football School activities throughout Syria

Project activities

Open Fun Football Schools will focus on following areas : Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hamah, Latakia, Tartus

  1. Introduction to the CCPA child-centred and community-based approach for eight Open Fun Football School leaders/trainers-of-trainers who will receive training in theory and practice.
  2. 60 hours of Open Fun Football School coaching seminars for 96 coaches to teach them the approach. The seminars will be led by the eight leaders/trainers-of-trainers under the supervision of the CCPA and its associated partners from CCPA Lebanon, CCPA Jordan and CCPA Iraq.
  3. 30 hours of seminars run by the eight leaders for 96 young coaching assistants aged 14–18 to teach them the approach.
  4. Eight six-day Open Fun Football Schools organised by the leaders in cooperation with the trained coaches and coaching assistants for 1,600 children aged 6–12.
  5. One-day fun football festivals organised by the leaders in cooperation with the trained coaches and coaching assistants for a total of 1,600 children (show-ups) aged 6–12.
  6. Three-day seminar for 60 Open Fun Football School leaders and coaches so they can set up football clubs.
  7. Regular fun football training sessions organised by the Open Fun Football School leaders in cooperation with the trained coaches and coaching assistants for a total of 1,000 children.

Expected results

8 Open Fun Football School leaders /trainers-of-trainers

96 Open Fun Football School coaches

96 coaching assistants aged 14–18

  • gender balance: minimum 30% females
  • social balance: minimum 50% refugees/internally displaced persons/socially disadvantaged individuals

3 capacity-building seminars

3,200 children aged 6-12 years in 8 Open Fun Football Schools and Festivals

1 club-formation seminar

60 clubs set up

Partner

Adopt a Ball for All

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Greece and more than 170 countries across five continents
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 01/01/2021
Cost of the project €100,000
Foundation funding €95,000
Project identifier 20200573
Partners Youthorama
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

There is a challenge globally to include pupils with visual impairment in physical education (PE) in general primary schools. There is generally only one type of PE class for all pupils and there are limited inclusive sports tools. As a result, pupils with visual impairment do not participate in PE at the same level as their sighted classmates. This project meets this global need and provides a sustainable solution. It supports children’s right to education and their right to play as well as Sustainable Development Goals 4 (quality education) and 10 (reduced inequality).

Project content

Youthorama’s founder invented an innovative lightweight sound ball. The unique mini ball for all children is not for sale – it is only donated. In Greece, an educational programme using the mini ball was approved by the ministry of education for all schools – both general and special – and all grades. This project aims to establish a network of schools across the world that will promote inclusive sports through this new educational package.

         

Sierra Leon                                                              India

Objectives

  • Produce and donate up to 2,000 mini blind footballs for children
  • Create a more inclusive society through the use of these balls as a non-formal learning tool
  • Educate mainstream nursery and primary schools, NGOs and public structures on inclusive sport
  • Create a manual of up to 40 good practices
  • Launch an Adopt a Ball pilot initiative for schools to raise awareness of sports for all
  • Establish an Inclusive Football Network across the world (currently spanning 172 countries)

Project activities

  • Donation of the innovative mini blind footballs – the only ones available on a global level and not for sale – to children in need and their schools across 5 continents
  • Designing an inclusive educational package
  • Delivering up to 200 sports workshops in general and special nursery and primary schools to promote personal development, empathy and inclusion
  • Evaluation of the project’s success in achieving its aims
  • Launching the Adopt a Ball campaign and promoting open four-a-side events

Expected results

  • 100 schools in disadvantaged areas across the network delivering the educational programme
  • 25,000 sighted and visually impaired pupils in mixed classes
  • 500 schools registered in the Adopt a Ball network
  • 2,500 questionnaires
  • 500 PE teachers and volunteers using the accessible e-learning platform
  • 3,000 participants in the open four-a-side events
  • 2,000 mini blind footballs donated
  • 1 social message documentary for TV

Our vision is for the ball to be heard in every visually impaired child’s home and school around the world!

Partner

Play Proud

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Europe, Asia, Africa
Start date 03/01/2020
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project €100 463
Foundation funding €100 463
Project identifier 2019524
Partners streetfootballworld
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Sports environments are often settings where discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community is magnified, whether involuntarily or voluntarily. As a result, the unparalleled power of sport to engage youngsters and create mutual understanding can be inaccessible to children and teenagers who identify as LGBTQ+ – those who need these spaces the most.

In one study, 63% of LGBTQ+-identified respondents had experienced homophobia in sports environments, and 57% said that they would be more likely to take part in sports activities if they were more LGBTQ+-friendly. LGBTQ+-identified youngsters are twice as likely to be bullied and/or physically assaulted. The continual threat for their mental and physical safety means that the majority of LGBTQ+ youth do not openly disclose their gender and sexual identities. Unfortunately, many coaches struggle to cope with the challenge of including these children and teenagers and their needs, mainly due to a lack of skills, training, and knowledge.

Project content

Play Proud is a coach-centred exchange programme with the objective of making grassroots sport more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) community, especially children and teenagers that have previously been excluded from such programmes. The direct beneficiaries of Play Proud activities are coaches who work with community organisations around the world. These coaches engage with disadvantaged children and teenagers, offering them a safe place on the football pitch to form friendships, develop life skills, and feel a sense of acceptance.

Play Proud targets both organisation and programme levels, recommending explicit policies and sports activities that foster more inclusive processes by identifying and training coaches who will push the gender-sensitive approach forward, reaching thousands of youngsters.

This year the programme is made up of organisations from Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and India. Two representatives from each organization will engage in virtual exchanges, a 5-day in-person residency in South Africa and a 5-day in-person residency in India, as well as receiving ongoing mentorship and support.

 

Objectives

Play Proud can save lives. In 2020 and beyond, Play Proud will continue to pursue its objective to train more coaches using evidence-based methodology. This will enable us to strategically advance Play Proud around the world. We aim to create a global network of grassroots sports and LGBTQ+ organisations that apply the Play Proud methodology, reaching more coaches and youngsters every year.

We believe that we can make Play Proud the leading programme for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sports sector. We will train more coaches and organisations to implement and share Play Proud so that we can continue to create a movement in local communities worldwide and ensure LGBTQ+ youth are safe, represented, and included, on and off the field.

Project activities

  • Football coaches receive 100+ hours of training from experts in the field, take part in capacity-building workshops and virtual mentoring, and visit the sports programmes run by local organisations.
  • Football coaches develop action plans on the topic of LGBTQ+ inclusion in their own organisations and communities.
  • Football coaches run LGBTQ+-inclusive programmes for children and teenagers and work with their organisations to improve internal and external safeguarding policies.
  • Grassroots sports organisations improve their inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth and their internal and external safeguarding policies.

 

Expected results

  • Three grassroots sports organisations in Europe and Asia join the Play Proud network.
  • Coaches in the participating organisations receive 100+ hours of training from experts in the field, take part in capacity-building workshops and virtual mentoring.
  • The project impacts the lives of over 250 disadvantaged children and teenagers in marginalised communities across Europe and Asia.

Partners

A safe space for displaced Yazidi youth

Location and general information

Closed
Location Sharya, Duhok Governorate, Iraq
Start date 01/01/2020
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project €619,085
Foundation funding €120,000
Project identifier 2019558
Partners Jesuit Refugee Service Iraq
Categories Conflict victims - Personal development

Context

Over 4 million people in Iraq are in need of humanitarian assistance due to decades of conflict, widespread violence and displacement brought about by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS), endemic corruption, and ongoing political instability. According to the United Nations, 1.46 million people – 46% children under the age of 18 – are in acute need and face “critical problems related to their physical or mental wellbeing”. Although more than four million of the six million displaced by post-2014 conflict have been able to return to their areas of origin, families returning to conflict-affected areas face restricted access to basic services and security risks. They must contend with destroyed properties and critical infrastructure, as well as a lack of livelihood opportunities and financial resources. In some instances, this has led to secondary displacement.

Over 1.4 million people continue to be displaced, including hundreds of thousands of Ezidi (commonly referred to as Yazidi) survivors of the August 2014 genocide in Sinjar in their sixth year of displacement in the Duhok governorate of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. At the end of 2019, the displaced population in Duhok stood at 319,584, the highest number in Iraq after Ninewa[1]. In addition, the governorate hosts upward of 80,000 Syrian refugees.[2] Fewer than half of Duhok’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in one of the seventeen IDP camps in the governorate.[3] The majority live in a variety of out-of-camp settings, ranging from rented accommodation to unfinished buildings and  improvised dwellings, such as tents. Out-of-camp IDPs living in critical shelter are the most numerous vulnerable group.[4]

Although urban centres such as Duhok city and Zakho have a greater mix of ethnic and religious groups all fleeing conflict, the vast majority of remaining in-camp and out-of-camp IDPs in the Duhok governorate are Ezidi genocide survivors from the Sinjar district of Ninewa governorate. To date, Sharya town (also referred to as Sharya Collective) and the surrounding villages hold the largest out-of-camp population of IDPs (23,940) anywhere in Duhok governorate and one of the highest concentrations nationwide.[5]

[1] International Organization for Migration (IOM), Data Tracking Matrix DTM) Iraq, 31 December 2019, available at http://iraqdtm.iom.int.

[2] See Registered IDPs and Refugees in Kurdistan Region – Iraq for January 2019, available at http://jcc.gov.krd/contents/reports/19-02-2019/1550569468.Total%20No.%20IDPs%20%20Refugees%20for%20January%20in%20Kurdistan%20Region.pdf.

[3] See Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ministry of Interior, Humanitarian Situational Report (SitRep), No. (2-20) for February 2020. Available at:  http://jcc.gov.krd/contents/files/25-02-2020/1582612800.Humanitarian%20Situational%20Report%20(2-20)%20for%20February%20%20Kurdistan%20Region%20of%20Iraq.pdf.

[4] See UN-OCHA, Iraq Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) 2020, available at https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/iraq-humanitarian-needs-overview-2020-november-2019-enarku

[5] International Organization for Migration (IOM), Data Tracking Matrix DTM) Iraq, 31 December 2019. Available at http://iraqdtm.iom.int/

Project content

In addition to its specific programme activities, the Jesuit Refugee Service Iraq adopts a multi-layered unified project model that promotes mutual understanding, social cohesion, and peace.

The various project modules and programmes will be complemented by the construction of a fenced multi-purpose sports ground and an annex with facilities and equipment. The complex will provide safe and supervised sports and recreational activities for children, teenagers and young adults from both IDP and host communities. It will promote integration and enable young people from this minority population to develop social skills, fundamental personal and community values, and team spirit. Sports will promote the physical and mental wellbeing of young people in protracted displacement, improve social cohesion, and facilitate conflict management. The sports ground will provide a much-needed facility and safe space to help them engage in positive, healthy activities and boost their overall wellbeing, as well as prevent self-harm linked to a sense of no future prospects.

The Jesuit Refugee Service Iraq’s educational activities, community outreach, and MHPSS services will dovetail with targeted awareness sessions and the thorough work of Jesuit Refugee Service family visitors. The sports ground and adjoining facilities represent a combined response to the need to heal the deeply embedded trauma in both the personal and collective psyche of the Ezidi population.

Objectives

  1. To enhance the psychosocial wellbeing of IDPs facing protracted displacement and improve their access to services, emergency assistance, and protection networks
  2. To support the right to education of children and young people in protracted displacement by providing access to quality education and psychosocial support
  3. To enhance the resilience of IDPs and improve knowledge through access to safe spaces, adult education, and awareness activities

Project activities

JRS projects and programmes in Sharya pay special attention to the well-being of traumatised child, teenage, and young adult genocide survivors as an at-risk category of IDPs. The proposed sports ground and ancillary facilities will enhance JRS’ capacity to serve the affected population proactively and holistically. Out-of-camp IDP children, teenagers, and young adults will benefit from access to a sports ground that better enables them to engage in positive and healthy recreational activities. JRS’ multi-layered intervention includes:

  • Systematic support for genocide survivors in protracted displacement from the family visit teams; provision of core assistance, including cash-based and in-kind assistance, food and non-food items; specialised psychological and psychiatric care, as well as psychiatric medication, for the most vulnerable families and individuals
  • A multi-sectoral education programme consisting of tutoring classes for 540 young people aged 12, 15, and 18 years during the school year; a summer programme for 140 children and teenagers, which includes drama, handicrafts, awareness sessions on relevant topics, and recreational activities; a licenced kindergarten for 220 children aged 4–5 years, in two shifts; training for teachers, including intensive training leading to a university diploma, as well as seminars on child safeguarding and psychological first aid
  • Adult education and skills training courses that enhance IDPs’ income generation and employment opportunities and complementary protection activities to contribute to an improved sense of well-being; awareness sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, stress management, and parenting skills, which enable IDPs to better cope with the experience of protracted displacement
  • A legal service to enable undocumented genocide survivors to obtain civil documentation
  • A twice-weekly primary healthcare service hosted by the JRS Community Centre in Sharya in collaboration with a partner organisation
  • Protection, mainstreamed in all programmes
  • A range of transportation solutions to enable the population served to access the various services listed above

Expected results

The proposed multi-purpose sports ground and facilities build on best practice and lessons learned from an earlier JRS project in Ozal City, Kasnazan (2015–2018). The JRS Community Centre in Ozal City comprised a sports ground that became a magnet for hundreds of children and young people from over 2,000 displaced families of diverse ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds. During school hours, the sports ground was an integral part of an organised education programme (for children aged 4–18 years) that supplemented the scant delivery in the public schools for IDPs. Beyond that, the sports ground was a place of socialisation among people from different areas of origin and an effective instrument in peacebuilding and social cohesion.

The immediate and quantifiable beneficiaries of the proposed multi-purpose sports ground include:

  • 220 preschool children (4–5 years old) during school hours
  • 540 children in the youth education programme (aged 12, 15 and 18)
  • 140 children in the three-month long summer programme
  • Other children and young people participating in one-off or recurring activities laid on by JRS

At other times, the facility will be open (under supervision) to children, teenagers, and young adults from the IDP and host community. Users will be primarily out-of-camp IDPs and members of the host community.

The adjoining multi-purpose hall will host a range of activities, from indoor sports and fitness, to drama, film screenings, awareness workshops, and community-building events. It will constitute a safe and protective alcohol-free environment. The combination of indoor and outdoor areas will enable use during different weather conditions and – more importantly – will enable equal access for females and males.

Partner

Coaching for Life

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Indonesia
Start date 01/01/2020
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project € 727,177
Foundation funding € 144,500
Project identifier 2019854
Partners The Arsenal Foundation and Save the Children
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

More than a million children between the ages of 10 and 17 live in Jakarta. The city is home to 300 slum communities, where many girls and boys live on less than one US dollar a day. Children living in these dense slum communities are often forced to work from a young age. Many scavenge on landfill sites, work in fisheries or undertake daily labour in order to earn money for their families. In doing so they often miss out on school and other vital developmental opportunities. Subsequently, many are forced into working long hours, sometimes in multiple jobs and exposed to exploitative situations.

Societal gender expectations dictate that girls perform domestic chores such as housekeeping and taking care of younger siblings. As a result, girls are often isolated from peers, with limited access to education. One in six Indonesian girls are married before they reach the age of 18.

In 2018, the Arsenal Foundation and Save the Children teamed up to design Coaching for Life. This innovative programme sees Arsenal combine its expertise in coaching and delivery with Save the Children’s extensive experience in supporting children living in some of the most challenging environments in the world.

Project content

Building on combined experience and expertise, the project aims to help children develop their resilience and vital life skills and support them in maintaining positive relationships. To this end, Arsenal is leveraging its coaching experience in London, where it has long used football as a tool to engage with some of the hardest-to-reach young people in the city.

Coaching for Life is delivered exclusively through football and on-pitch sessions, which are also informed by Save the Children’s expertise in child protection and resilience building.

The programme is based on the principle that children and young people have the ability to overcome difficulties and learn new skills to cope with future adversities using their own internal resources. The key skills for building resilience naturally occur in football and are embedded within this programme.

 

Leah Williamson visits Coaching for Life in Jakarta

Objectives

At the core of the programme is the sustainability of its impact for children. Therefore, it is necessary to work with all influencers in a child’s life and include strategies to ensure long-term changes are adopted. The programme has five key objectives:

  1. To build children’s resilience, supporting them to cope with the stresses they currently face and will face in years to come.
  2. To provide support services and safe spaces to play. In Indonesia, the programme is linked to the government-led Child Friendly Cities Initiative and has been designed to support the government to achieve its targets to make Jakarta a safe and protective environment for children.
  3. To increase the capacity of caregivers and communities to support children’s resilience and well-being.
  4. To elevate the voices of girls and boys affected by physical and emotional distress, empowering them to influence policy and practice in their communities.
  5. To use the impact of the programme to influence the future practice of others.

Project activities

Building resilience through football coaching sessions:

  • Delivered during 20 weekly two-hour sessions. Children explore topics such as emotions, communication skills, conflict management and decision making.
  • Six-week bespoke coaching education delivered by Arsenal coaches.
  • Support and mentoring throughout the programme.

Providing safe spaces and support services:

  • The refurbishment of football pitches provides safe spaces for children. Mechanisms will be put in place to protect children from violence and exploitation.
  • Access to local support services and further training including psychological first aid.

Training for parents and caregivers, including an outreach campaign for girls’ participation in sport

Thinking to the future: A robust monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning framework is being implemented. The outcomes will be used to promote the model and disseminate best practices widely.

Expected results

  • The monitoring and evaluation framework will assess Coaching for Life’s impact on children’s resilience and well-being, the children’s sense of belonging to the programme and the importance of trusted adults and trained coaches. The reasons why change has (or has not) come about will be established and actionable recommendations will be identified from independent research to further improve the Coaching for Life model.
  • The monitoring and evaluation framework will also assess to what extent sports interventions contribute to improving resilience and whether they help or hinder the development of resilience skills compared with programmes following the same methodology without the added sports component.
  • Arsenal coaches will train 35 coaches in Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • Over 1,000 children will directly participate in Coaching for Life. The resilience through football coaching sessions are delivered through 20 weekly two-hour sessions.
  • Seven pitches will be renovated and maintained. The football pitches provide a safe space for children. Mechanisms will be put in place to protect children from violence and exploitation.
  • Some 1,500 parents and caregivers will participate, enhancing their ability to support their children’s well-being. Parents also play an important role in driving gender equality in their communities.
  • Children will be empowered to influence practice and policy, by including the voices of children affected by conflict and violence in the decision-making process to bring about long-term changes.
  • Proof of impact will be established so that Coaching for Life can be reproduced on a larger scale.

Partner