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

Football in Zaatari refugee camp

Location and general information

Closed
Location Jordan
Start date 01/01/2020
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project € 120,000
Foundation funding € 120,000
Project identifier 2019499
Partners Association Football Development Programme (AFDP) Global
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Personal development

Context

AFDP Global and the UEFA Foundation for Children are helping people displaced by the conflict in Syria, particularly children and young people living in Zaatari refugee camp.

UEFA set up a project in Zataari in September 2013. The UEFA Foundation for Children took it over in 2015 and has been further developing the project ever since.

Project content

The UEFA foundation and its partner AFDP Global provide weekly sporting activities for displaced Syrian boys and girls, ensuring a fun and safe environment for training and competitive activities. These activities are not limited to football, but also include judo, Zumba and table tennis. The project will continue to support the Syrian coaching and management team established in the camp to provide football activities for children and young people. Sport is used to raise awareness of social issues and impart the life skills necessary in the context. Continuous training for skills development will also be provided. Proper supervision of the children taking part in the programme will be ensured, with appropriate role models. This will ensure the continuity of the project.

Objectives

Engaging Syrian children and young people

To provide football and other sports activities in an appropriate, safe and supervised environment, allowing children to enjoy their childhood. In addition to playing and spending time together, the youngsters will learn football skills and the fundamental values of sport such as respect, fair play, team spirit and solidarity. They will also receive education on specific social issues.

Training Syrian football coaches and referees

To provide training for Syrian refugees on how to run football coaching sessions, equipping them with the skills required to manage a league and run football clubs, with specific classes on refereeing.

Integrating a life skills curriculum

To teach coaches how to best use the values of sport to facilitate children’s personal development and raise their awareness of certain social issues, with a particular focus on conflict resolution, early marriage, birth control and the importance of schooling, health, hygiene and well-being.

Maintaining established football clubs and league

To support administrators and coaches, ensuring that they have the capacity to maintain the football clubs and league established by the project in previous years.

Project activities

Infrastructure and training material

The UEFA foundation, in cooperation with AFDP Global, has contributed to the construction of a sports centre. Known as the House of Sport, it is a place for social activities and a safe environment where children and young people can have fun and make friends, especially those who are interested in football.

  • Since the beginning of the project, 20,000 footballs, 20,000 T-shirts, caps and backpacks, 5,000 pairs of shoes and 1,000 training kits (cones, plates, bibs, stopwatches, whistles, etc.) have been distributed for sports activities.
  • At each tournament, 1,000 snacks and 2,000 bottles of water are distributed.
  • The coaches have also been fully equipped.
  • The two main pitches used for tournaments have been upgraded to artificial turf and are fully equipped for football matches.
  • Eleven containers of various material (sportswear, balls, etc.) have been provided by the UEFA foundation.

Football pitch

Pursuing the aim of providing a safe environment for the beneficiaries of the project, the UEFA foundation, in cooperation with AFDP Global and the Jordanian Football Association, contributed to the conversion to artificial turf of a full-size football pitch (in 2017) and a small pitch for girls (in 2018), with the financial support of LAY’S.

Four containers were sent from the Netherlands with artificial turf, construction material (including geotextiles, adhesive, tape, a tractor and other maintenance equipment), and pitch equipment such as goals and corner flags.

 Figures (August 2021)

  • Some 279 adult refugees – including 94 women and 185 men – have already benefitted from the coaching education offered by the foundation, equipping them with the necessary skills to become good coaches and therefore to supervise and organise sporting and football activities such as weekly training and tournaments. Twenty-seven of these coaches are currently working for the project and the others for other non-governmental organisations in the camp.
  • Experts appointed by the UEFA foundation and AFDP Global have run workshops on refereeing, trauma recovery, sport as a tool for social cohesion, early marriage and conflict resolution. Some 54 referees have been trained, of whom 21 are women.
  • Around 5,110 children and young people – boys and girls – regularly take part in the weekly sports activities and monthly football tournaments supervised by qualified male and female educators. This peaked at 7,137 young Syrians in October 2019 – 4,947 boys and 2,190 girls aged between 8 and 20.
  • Numbers were expected to increase in summer 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic forced AFDP Global to suspend activities, for safety reasons and as a result of government-enforced lockdowns from March 2020 to August 2021.
  • Monthly football tournaments are organised in the camp for the age groups under-13, under-15 and under-20. An average of 1,000 children and young people aged 8 to 20, including 300 girls, take part in the monthly tournaments. The highest number of participants was 1,580 in March 2019.
  • Monthly events are organised for under-8s, with an average of 100 children participating.
  • Men’s teams can use the field for two hours per day.
  • Apart from football, other sports and activities are organised. Some 340 boys regularly do judo (age groups under-13 and under-15), over 180 boys and girls participate in table tennis activities (age groups under-13 and under-15), and 300 girls take Zumba classes.

Expected results

  • Coaching and football activities to be organised for a total of 2,800 boys and 1,800 girls between the ages of 8 and 20.
  • Monthly football tournaments to be organised in the camp, with an average of 1,000 participants aged 8 to 20, including 300 girls.
  • More than 18 men’s teams to be provided with the facilities to play football daily and tournaments to be organised for them.
  • Other daily sports and activities to be organised, offering a greater diversity of activities to the beneficiaries, including judo, table tennis and Zumba.
  • A team of 13 male and 13 female staff to be maintained. They will use sport, and football in particular, as a tool for social cohesion and conflict resolution, and will be responsible for managing teams for the different age groups.
  • External events to be organised, boosting social impact through awareness and increased friendship-building opportunities.
  • Camp facilities to switch to solar power during 2021, with a back-up generator for the project offices.

Partner

The game is worth it

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Sri Lanka
Start date 01/31/2020
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project € 35,000
Foundation funding € 20,000
Project identifier 2019009
Partners C.I.E.LO - Coopération internationale pour les équilibres locaux
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

For three decades, ending in 2009, Sri Lanka endured a civil war between its government, dominated by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority (70% of the population), and the separatist organisation known as the Tamil Tigers, who practise Hinduism (20%) and Islam (10%). According to the UN, between 80,000 and 100,000 people were killed during this armed conflict, with more than 150,000 reported missing. The war mainly affected the country’s northern and eastern provinces, where the separatists wanted to create an independent state. Furthermore, in December 2004, the country was among those most severely affected by a tsunami that killed 31,000 people and hit its eastern province very hard. More recently, in April 2019, Sri Lanka suffered seven bomb attacks against the Christian community and tourists, which were attributed to the Islamic State and killed 253 people. The situation in the country remains tense, in particular on account of reprisals against the Muslim community by radical religious groups.

In this context, following an initial fact-finding visit in September 2016, cooperation between C.I.E.LO and its local partner, the Sri Lankan association RECDO, began with the creation of a toy library. Subsequent projects involved renovating and equipping a rural nursery school set up by parents themselves without state assistance, and building 15 homes with toilets for families living below the poverty line in rural areas.

Project content

The sports-related part of the project involves the construction of a sand and grass pitch on a piece of land next to the new toy library building, where outdoor games (racquet-based and ball games, skittles, quoits, etc.) and team sports such as cricket, which is Sri Lanka’s national sport, table tennis, football and volleyball, can be played. It will also include the purchase of games and sports equipment required to play these sports.

Objectives

  • Enhance the general facilities and improve conditions for playing games and sports at the toy library.
  • Make the toy library more attractive and increase visitor numbers.
  • Widen the choice of games by purchasing new games and equipment for four different sports.
  • Support the local economy by employing local craftspeople.
  • Help to promote and extend the activities of the RECDO association, partner of C.I.E.LO.

 

Project activities

The project will significantly improve the quality of the toy library thanks to the purchase of 100 new games to be added to the current collection, which will generate interest among users who frequently ask for new games to discover. It will also fund the acquisition of equipment for four different sports: cricket (Sri Lanka’s national sport), table tennis, volleyball and football. Five wooden tables, chairs and shelves will also be purchased so the toy library can accommodate more children in better conditions.

Expected results

With around 300 games in its collection, the toy library will become one of the best equipped C.I.E.LO toy libraries. These games are carefully selected and arranged in accordance with the international ESAR classification system, which is mainly based on the work of Jean Piaget and focuses on several types of childhood learning:

  • Exercise-based games stimulate the senses and motor skills of very young children (rattles, music boxes, play mats, pull-along toys).
  • Symbolic games promote creativity, imagination and fantasy (puppets, tea sets, toy cars, musical instruments, doctor’s kits, tool kits).
  • Assembly games stimulate logical thinking and an understanding of social behaviour, as well as more complex strategic thinking (Connect 4, bingo, board games, memory games).
  • Traditional games will also be well represented and additional furniture will be provided to enable children to develop their skills in better conditions, with shelves and transparent boxes to store games securely, tables, chairs, mats.

Partner

Mine Risk Education

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Cambodia
Start date 01/01/2020
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project € 238,150
Foundation funding € 114,833
Project identifier 2019534
Partners Spirit of Soccer
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

Cambodia is one of the countries most affected by landmines anywhere  in the world. An estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and cluster bombs and other unexploded ordnance were left behind after nearly three decades of war ending in 1998. Children, particularly those in rural areas, are in particular danger because they are most likely to be unaware of the risks of playing in or traversing hazardous areas.

In Cambodia, children account for up to 50% of landmine casualties, according to the Cambodian Red Cross. Children are far more likely to die from landmine injuries than adults, with an estimated 85% of child victims dying before reaching the hospital.

Landmines also cause gut-wrenching injuries: children may lose their sight or hearing; lose fingers, toes and limbs; or suffer injuries to their genitals. They also suffer psychologically from the trauma of a landmine injury. Without adequate medical treatment, children injured by landmines are often pulled out of school. They face limited future prospects for education and employment and are often perceived as a burden to their families.

Clearing mined areas is expensive, time consuming and complicated when climate, displacement and economic necessity drive people into contaminated areas. The most efficient way to tackle the problem is to make sure children are educated about the types of weapons present in their community and how to avoid them. However, there is a lack of effective mine risk education in Cambodia meaning children lack the knowledge needed to stay safe.

Project content

Spirit of Soccer's mission is to use football to educate children living in conflict and post-conflict regions about the dangers of landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and other explosive remnants of war. It educates, trains and employs local football coaches and teachers. They are taught how to deliver its curriculum, which uses easy-to-understand football-related lessons to teach children how to identify and avoid specific threats posed by explosive remnants of war in their communities. The approach is culturally sensitive and adapted to local cultural, religious and social needs. The focus is on a fun, safe environment that is inclusive to all and provides healthy physical activity, hope and happiness.

Through its work, Spirit of Soccer addresses Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace Justice and Strong Institutions, with a specific focus on Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

Objectives

The project aims to deliver mine risk education to approximately 12,000 Cambodian children through football/MRE clinics and MRE tournaments and a further 24,000 Cambodian children through a multimedia campaign involving the distribution of posters and school notebooks. Spirit of Soccer will provide all services and materials, including:

  • an MRE curriculum to be delivered by (locally trained and recruited) Spirit of Soccer coaches to 12,000 at-risk Cambodian children, with the assistance of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) and the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA);
  • distribution of 500 footballs featuring mine education messages;
  • training of 20 teachers – through a coaching/MRE course and workshop based on the Spirit of Soccer’s football/MRE curriculum – who will promote MRE messages in their local communities;
  • distribution of 10,000 school notebooks featuring world-renowned football stars endorsing safe behaviours for schoolchildren to follow should they encounter mines or explosive remnants of war.

Project activities

  • Coaches and teachers trained to be mine risk educators
  • Mine risk education delivered directly to children in at-risk communities through educational football clinics
  • Regular mine risk education festivals to expand the indirect reach to the wider community

Expected results

The project aims to achieve a 75% or higher favourable response to certain key indicators about mine safety knowledge as tracked by its M&E system to demonstrate the effectiveness of the football programme as a vehicle for mine risk education.

Partner

New futures through sport

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Vietnam
Start date 01/01/2020
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project € 230,797
Foundation funding € 65,268
Project identifier 2019751
Partners Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

Whether they live in the city or in rural provinces, children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Vietnam are extremely vulnerable to abuse and trafficking.

The streets of Hanoi are home to many children from other poor provinces who have made their way to the capital city in search of work or to run away from domestic problems, such as violence, alcohol and drug abuse or extreme poverty and neglect. On the streets, the children are at high risk of abuse in the form of labour or sex.

In the far north-west of Vietnam sits Dien Bien province, the poorest in the country. Both rampant poverty and the proximity to China and Laos through mountainous borders that are extremely difficult to control have turned Dien Bien into a human trafficking hotspot. Further south, in central Vietnam, is Thua Thien Hue province, where poverty is also prevalent. There, as in Dien Bien, natural disasters like drought or typhoons happen often and hit hard. In these rural areas, the levels of child labour and trafficking are particularly high.

Project content

The Blue Dragon project uses sport as a catalyst for positive change, both in the city and in these two impoverished provinces. The project not only targets street children but also those with disabilities or from very poor backgrounds. We use football and other sporting activities to educate and empower the children, so that they become confident leaders of their own lives.

In Hanoi, we organize a range of sporting activities for children and teenagers, but it all started with football. The football team includes street children; children living in our shelters; and children and teenagers living in the community from poor and dysfunctional families. In addition to football, we encourage children to join other sports such as basketball and skateboarding, and other activities including drama, hip hop dance, and gym.

In Thua Thien Hue and Dien Bien provinces, Blue Dragon organises sports and youth development activities primarily in collaboration with schools and boarding schools. By improving community sport and recreational opportunities for children and youth in local communities, we not only improve the children’s health and skills, but help to break the cycle of leaving home and early labour.

In all provinces, Blue Dragon also leads workshops to teach children essential work skills, such as communication and teamwork, and workshops to educate children, parents and communities about the dangers of child labour and human trafficking.

Objectives

The project uses sport as a catalyst for positive change towards new futures for at-risk children living in Vietnam; and to ensure that all Blue Dragon children are confident leaders of their own lives.

Specific objectives

  • Enable at-risk children to access sporting and recreational activities
  • Help all children to develop key life skills, including teamwork, conflict management and communication, time management, commitment, confidence and leadership.

Project activities

  • Sports activities

The sports and recreational activities create safe and happy spaces for vulnerable children, help them to develop essential work and life skills, and explore their passions so that they can build successful futures.

  • Workshops and training

The soft skills workshops and training for children, parents and other community members help to prevent child labour and trafficking and help them better care for and protect their children.

Expected results

This project will provide access to sports and recreational activities for 1,585 highly disadvantaged children in three provinces in Vietnam. All children will improve their physical fitness and develop life and work skills that improve their employability and equip them to escape poverty and have future successful lives. Over 250 parents and community members will improve their knowledge of child protection.

Partner

Refugee eSports Cup

Location and general information

Closed
Location Jordan
Start date 01/01/2020
End date 12/01/2020
Cost of the project €100,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2019001
Partners Librairies without Borders (BSF)
Categories Conflict victims - Personal development

Context

On average, refugees spend eighteen years in a camp – without being able to learn, read or engage with society. Since 2007, BSF has been helping to connect refugees to the outside world, from Rohingyas in Bangladesh to Burundians in Tanzania, giving women, men, and children resources to combat boredom, cultivate resilience, and plan for the future. By promoting access to education, culture, and information, BSF aspires to give everyone the ability to be independent and free to flourish.

For the first time, with the support of the UEFA Foundation for Children, BSF is organising an eSports tournament at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.

Tool for social cohesion. Nowadays, video games have their place in society and can even be found in libraries and museums. Video games can now earn more than movies or books. We believe that digital football matches can strengthen communities, build resilience, and promote social cohesion.

Video games in refugee camps?

Libraries Without Borders and the UEFA Foundation for Children wish to make a positive use of this cultural good for all. Hence the idea to organise the first eSports cup tournament for refugees using the FIFA 20 game.

Communication tool. Interactive and inclusive video games promote social cohesion: players bond, exchange and build a community regardless of their personal story. Games can stimulate imagination and creativity, immersing players in an alternative universe. At the same time, the physical setting of the tournament will be an opportunity to meet, learn about various challenges, and establish rules for living together.

Project content

The project targets girls and boys aged between 10 and 18 years old and will include youngsters with disabilities. Parents and caregivers will also be involved in the project through regular consultations, invitation to the final events and free use of game consoles provided by PlayStation.

Two weeks will be spent mobilising the community and selecting participants to take part in the training sessions and final e-tournament through vulnerability referrals from the education partners in the camp.

Selected participants will be required to take part in partners’ activities to encourage access to educational content and will be shortlisted for the final events during a qualification phase that takes account not only of their skill level but also their regular attendance and involvement in the partners’ activities. Various tournament leagues will be created, to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities.

To ensure the project reaches a wider audience, dedicated time slots will be set aside for free use, enabling the rest of the community to access the resources.

The activities will be run in various locations around the camp to reach different sectors of the population and make it easier for children with disabilities to take part. The main location will be in the House of Sport run by the Association Football Development Program Global (AFDP Global) and there will be two smaller locations.

Objectives

The programme is intended to provide recreational spaces for girls and boys in the Zaatari camp using the FIFA 20 game in an eSports competition. Designed as a pilot project, the outcomes will be carefully assessed to determine whether the approach could be duplicated in other suitable locations hosting vulnerable populations.

  • Create recreational spaces for video gaming that will allow youngsters to be involved in activities, providing them with some respite from the difficulties of their daily lives, and that can be used by the partners as hubs for psychosocial, protection or educational activities.
  • Give the opportunity to children with disabilities to participate to the e-tournament.
  • Create inclusive spaces that enhance social cohesion in the communities and generate positive coping mechanisms through social interaction and using the video games.
  • Raising the general public’s awareness of the reality of the camp life through the video game media campaign.

Project activities

At the heart of this project: entertainment that promotes social cohesion

Set-up and qualifications

Two hundred youngsters, boys and girls from 10 to 18 years old, including disabled children, will compete in the final from 31 January to 1 February 2020.

Several training centres will be available for a month beforehand, where the children will have the opportunity to play and familiarise themselves with the FIFA 20 video console game. Qualifying matches will be held to create the pools for the final tournament, which will comprise different categories and age groups so that the participants can play more games. All sessions will be linked to educational activities in the camp.

Tournament final

The final is also the media moment of this programme. Local and international media and influencers will be invited to cover approximately two days of the event.

Side events will be organised with football sessions and freestyle courses.

To ensure the sustainability of the initiative, after the tournament at least 5 PlayStations will remain in the camp.

Expected results

The project aims to attract a total of 350 children and teenagers to the training session and 1,500 people to the free-use activities. The programme aims at a gender balance and the inclusion of approximately 50 youngsters with disabilities.

This pilot project will be assessed and duplicated at the Cox's Bazar camp in Bangladesh.

Partner

Football in the Azraq refugee camp

Location and general information

Closed
Location Jordan
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €EUR 58,000
Foundation funding €EUR 58,000
Project identifier ASI - 0110
Partners AFDP Global
Categories Conflict victims

Context

The Catalyst Foundation for Universal Education, Aurora, the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) and the UEFA Foundation for Children are helping people displaced by the conflict in Syria, particularly children and teenagers living in the Azraq refugee camp.

Project content

The Association Football Development Programme Global (AFDP Global) intends to continue its ongoing project in the Azraq refugee camp to continue providing safe and supervised sports activities for Syrian children and teenagers. It will also train young Syrian adults as coaches and role models, developing their skills and ensuring proper supervision of the children taking part in the programme. The coaches will be taught English to develop their language skills and intercultural understanding so that they not only understand the game but can also communicate in a global language and in a multicultural environment.

The primary target group is children and teenagers (boys and girls) from 6 to 20.

The secondary target group comprises male and female adults, such as parents, who volunteer to be trained as coaches, team leaders and referees.

 

Objectives

  • Engage Syrian children and teenagers (girls and boys) by organising football and other sports activities in an appropriate, safe and supervised environment where they can remain youngsters and have some fun. In addition to playing and spending time together, they learn football skills and assimilate fundamental values of sport such as respect, fair play, team spirit and solidarity, and are also taught about specific social issues.
  • Train Syrian grassroots football coaches and referees, teaching them how to run coaching sessions but also give them the skills to organise a league and run football clubs. Specific classes focus on refereeing skills.
  • Include a specific life-skills curriculum, based on the context and needs. The coaches learn how to utilise the values of sport to encourage the children’s personal development and raise their awareness of certain social issues. The curriculum uses a fun, educational approach to address social issues and to focus, in particular, on conflict resolution and raising awareness of the issue of early marriages, birth control, the importance of school, health, hygiene and well-being.
  • Provide equipment and upgrade the football pitch into artificial turf, providing a reliable infrastructure and safe zone for the children to play in.

Project activities

To provide a safe environment for beneficiaries of the project, the UEFA foundation, in cooperation with AFDP Global and the Jordanian Football Association, contributed to the artificial-turf conversion of a small pitch for girls in 2018, with the financial support of LAY’S.

Two containers were sent from the Netherlands with artificial turf, construction material (including geotextiles, adhesive, tape, a tractor and other maintenance equipment), and pitch equipment such as goals and corner flags.

Solar-powered lighting was installed in 2020 to extend the availability of the pitch during the day.

Washing facilities will be added during 2021.

Expected results

  • An average of 500 children and youngsters – boys and girls aged between 8 and 20 – regularly take part in the weekly sports activities and monthly football tournaments supervised by qualified educators, both male and female.
  • Fair-play football tournaments will be held in the camp on the last Friday of every month.
  • 18 male and female refugees will use sport, and football in particular, as a tool for social cohesion and conflict resolution, and will act as multipliers.
  • Awareness of trauma recovery, sport as a tool for social cohesion, the disadvantages of early marriages, and conflict resolution will be increased significantly.

Partner

Education with a Kick

Location and general information

Closed
Location Inde
Start date 01/01/2019
End date 01/31/2021
Cost of the project €165,541
Foundation funding €112,000
Project identifier ASI-2018579
Partners Oscar Foundation, Street Football World
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

School dropout rates are increasing in Mumbai’s slums. Underprivileged children are being sent to work to help meet their families’ needs. Entering the labour market at such a young age and working long days in dangerous conditions is disastrous for their mental and physical development. They are exposed to a higher risk of addiction to alcohol and drugs.

Of the children who fail to complete their education, 67% are girls. The main reason for this is child marriage, which parents think will give their daughters economic security. However, cutting short girls’ education and pushing them into repeated early pregnancies limits their opportunities. The cycle of poverty therefore self-perpetuates.

Project content

The project in Mumbai comprises football and education programmes that rely on the power of football to bring about social change. The game is used as a hook to engage young people in a variety of activities, but also to teach them about key social topics such as teamwork, respect and fair play. The life skills learned through football help empower individuals and enhance their psychosocial well-being, increasing their resilience, self-esteem and motivation. Activities aimed at less privileged children and young people can help reduce the number of boys and girls who are forced to drop out of education.

New digital learning centres will be set up in four targeted communities, creating an essential link between on- and off-field activities. Twice a week throughout the year, more than 800 children will have the opportunity to boost their self-esteem, confidence, teamwork skills and football ability by participating in football and life skills sessions.

Objectives

  • Gender equality and women’s empowerment: there is a clear correlation between higher levels of female education and lower fertility rates. Population growth and climate change are also directly linked, so investing in girls’ education and promoting girls’ reproductive rights can play a powerful role in combating climate change. Through our football programmes, girls improve their confidence and self-esteem, and are given the chance to become leaders and challenge female stereotypes in their community.
  • Sanitation and hygiene: the urban population is increasing rapidly, putting enormous pressure on water and sanitation services. One of the main goals of the football and life skills programme is to tackle the taboos related to sanitation and hygiene, promote behaviour change amongst children and raise awareness of the importance of sanitation and hygiene.
  • Waste management: the inherent link between a clean environment and participation in sport is part of what makes football a powerful tool for communicating environmental messages to groups of young people and encouraging them to take action to clean up their own environment.

Project activities

Sessions will be held in local open spaces. During each session, issues such as dropping out of school, child marriage, child labour or health and hygiene will be discussed. If players identify as being at risk of dropping out of school, they will be invited to attend informal education and computer classes at one of the four education hubs in Mumbai, improving their chances of passing exams and providing a platform for future employment opportunities.

 

Expected results

  • Reduce the dropout rate in years 1 to 7 from 13% to 10%, with 90% of children participating in our programmes.
  • Reduce the dropout rate in years 5 to 7 from 16% to 10%, with 90% of children participating in our programmes.
  • Increase by 20% the number of year 7 children participating in our programmes who successfully make the transition to year 8.

Partner

Football for Change outreach project

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Cambodia
Start date 01/15/2019
End date 12/01/2020
Cost of the project €21,930
Foundation funding €21,480
Project identifier ASI-2018798
Partners Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF)
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

As Cambodia continues to recover from the impact of the Khmer Rouge’s destructive reign, corruption and inequality remain prevalent and extreme poverty continues to affect young people, who make up almost 60% of the population. The pressure on young people to find employment is very high and school dropout rates, especially in rural areas reflect this. Children as young as five work to help financially support their families and are often taken out of school to make ends meet. The poverty they experience not only denies them the chance of education, but also strips them of their right to be children and to play.

Across the country, particularly in rural areas, 19% of girls marry before their 18th birthday. Sporting opportunities for girls are very limited, and most are excluded from participating in sport and the social engagement that comes with it. In this way, disadvantaged and marginalised children and young people miss out on interaction with their peers and the vital life skills that are not taught in the classroom but are learned through sport, play and socialisation.

Project content

This programme will work directly with 500 disadvantaged children and 200 young people and adults who live in communities where poverty, social exclusion and lack of opportunity regularly lead to harmful behaviour. It will provide opportunities for children to access their right to play and right to education, promoting healthy life choices, equality and diversity.

Objectives

  • The Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF) believes every child has the right to education, healthcare and play. Therefore, the project aims to:
    • provide children, including girls, with access to sport and play;
    • improve children’s health and well-being;
    • provide a safe space for children to explore social issues such as children’s rights and child abuse, gender equality and disability inclusion, HIV, alcohol and drugs, and gambling;
    • develop children’s confidence, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving and resilience;
    • empower girls and women and change local perceptions through sport;
    • promote and encourage young people, especially girls, to remain in school.

Project activities

The pilot outreach project is about empowering coaches in rural areas to provide access to sport and learning to socially disadvantaged children in Cambodia. ISF will start running three coach development courses in 2019.

Two hundred coaches and aspiring coaches from schools, community organisations and NGOs around the country will participate in five intensive days of training focusing on football for social impact. The training, developed in partnership with Coaches Across Continents (CAC), will teach participants to deliver social impact football training using fun games and activities, engaging children in locally relevant social issues such as gender equality, disability and social inclusion, drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, education and health.

Participants will be trained to deliver a bespoke 12-month ISF/CAC social impact curriculum while developing children’s football skills, confidence, leadership, teamwork and decision-making skills in a fun and safe environment.

Expected results

Throughout the course of the pilot project, we expect the 20 ISF-supported coaches to run 480 outreach sessions, reaching approximately 500 socially deprived children, and three coach development courses focusing on social impact through football. In addition to the 700 direct beneficiaries of this project, the objective is to have 3,000 indirect beneficiaries.

Partner