Solidarité aveugle ; Blind Solidarity

Location and general information

Context

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

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

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

Project content

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

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

Results obtained:

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

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

[Photo of the Mali team at the World Championships]

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

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

Objectives

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

Project activities

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

Partners

Active Lives

Location and general information

Terminé
Location England
Start date 02/01/2020
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project €1,156,610
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier EUR-2018347 - 2019729
Partners Newcastle United Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

Whatever their differences, all children have the right to play and to enjoy the best conditions to stay fit and healthy. Unfortunately, this is not a reality for many disabled children, especially those living in disadvantaged areas. In England, disability is most prevalent in the north: in a survey conducted by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2015/16, 25% of people in the northeast reported a disability, compared with only 14% in London.[1] In this context, the Newcastle United Foundation wishes to use the power of football to overcome barriers and ensure that disadvantaged and disabled children are not left behind but are given opportunities to participate in a wide range of sports, to learn, to stay healthy and to have fun.

[1] Department for Work and Pensions Family Resources Survey 2015/16

Project content

The aim is to establish a regional centre of excellence for disability sport, where disabled people of all ages and abilities will be able to enjoy sport and exercise without barriers as part of a ground-breaking activity programme using high-quality indoor facilities. The flagship centre will not only promote active lifestyles and the recreational enjoyment of sport alongside the associated health and well-being benefits; it will also raise aspirations and support the development of Paralympic champions of the future. A wide programme of pan-disability and disability-specific football sessions will be offered under one roof at this brand-new centre, which will be accessible to individuals and families from across northeastern England and encourage them to get active and stay active for life.

Objectives

The project will give disabled children the opportunity to improve their fitness, mobility and balance. Football and other physical activities will also be used as a tool to help participants build their self-confidence, make friends and achieve their own personal goals on the football pitch and in life.

Project activities

The new centre will be home to numerous clubs and teams offering weekly sessions for children in the following areas:

  • DSActive (sport for people with Down’s Syndrome)
  • Visually impaired football
  • Deaf football
  • Cerebral palsy football
  • Amputee football
  • Walking football
  • Frame football
  • Pan-disability sessions
  • Powerchair football
  • Sensory sports

The centre will provide a venue for regular disability football matches and competitions with other teams and groups from across the UK, bringing flagship disability sports events to the city. In addition, the centre will be a thriving community hub on matchdays, offering matchday experiences for disabled fans and a home for the Newcastle United Disabled Supporters Association.

All registered users of the centre will be able to access the wide variety of programmes delivered by the Newcastle United Foundation, including personal development, education, employability, and health and well-being programmes. The centre will also be accessible to schools and community organisations that support disabled and disadvantaged people.

Expected results

  • Host 10 disability football clubs, each offering weekly sessions for 36 weeks of the year
  • Work with 40 schools for children with special educational needs
  • Work with 35 regional disability support organisations
  • Organise 15 festivals, tournaments and competitions for 1,000 disabled people
  • Deliver a comprehensive coach education programme and continuous professional development for 100 coaches of disabled footballers and athletes
  • Recruit 50 disabled young adults for a personal development programme

Partner

Children on the Move Uganda

Location and general information

Closed
Location Moyo, Uganda
Start date 01/01/2019
End date Ongoing
Cost of the project €296,592
Foundation funding €140,000
Project identifier AFR2018161
Partners Swiss Academy for Development (SAD), Community Psychosocial Support Organisation (CPSO, local partner)
Categories Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Personal development

Context

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

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

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

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

Project content

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

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

Objectives

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

Project activities

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

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

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

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

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

Expected results

 

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

Partner

Inclusive sport for development in Bangladesh

Location and general information

Closed
Location Bangladesh
Start date 10/01/2018
End date 09/30/2020
Cost of the project €117,450
Foundation funding €117,450
Project identifier ASI - 2018001
Partners Handicap International, Mymensingh Disabled People’s Organisation (Protibondhi Community Centre) and Tangail Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO)
Categories Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

In 2007, the government of Bangladesh ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which promotes the rights to play and education of children with disabilities. However, a majority of children with disabilities remain out of primary education – more than 90%, according to a UNICEF study. This leads to children with disabilities being denied their basic rights, including access to education, as well as to sport and leisure activities. The situation is worse for girls, both with and without disabilities, in this patriarchal society where they are expected to conform to gender roles set out by the family and society in general.

Additionally, the poor capacity of local schools and clubs to respond to the needs of children with disabilities contributes to delayed physical and psychosocial development, low confidence, as well as social exclusion. Moreover, girls are often subject to physical and sexual abuse, and exploitation, which further lowers their self-esteem.

Project content

This project aims to contribute to the educational and social inclusion of children with and without disabilities.

School-based and child-led inclusive sports and leisure activities will be a great opportunity for boys and girls with and without disabilities to explore their potential, interact with each other in a safe environment and challenge social norms.

Parents, caregivers and teachers will help to create a better environment through sports clubs for children with disabilities, in particular girls, to promote their physical and psychosocial well-being.

A strong link will be established between the DPOs and the government sports department. The involvement of the school management committees and parental participation will contribute to the sustainability of the activities.

Objectives

  • Improve the participation and education of boys and girls with disabilities in inclusive sports in Bangladesh;
  • Give children with disabilities increased functional autonomy and access to inclusive sports and leisure activities, and to enable them to play a role in their own protection;
  • Better equip DPOs, schools and children’s clubs to promote inclusive sports and leisure activities, and to promote inclusion in education;
  • Reduce stigmatisation and discrimination against children with disabilities, thereby encouraging increased social participation in a protective community.

The project aims to increase access to safe accommodation and social care in Ioannina and Thessaloníki by expanding its existing arrangements to make 400 beds available in northern Greece. The beneficiaries in Ioannina will have access to a large community centre, which will be the venue for cooking events, language classes, Greek film nights, discussion groups, arts and craft events and child-friendly spaces.

In this way, Terre des Hommes will be supporting vulnerable children with caregivers by providing them with accommodation, and giving older unaccompanied minors (males aged 16–17) somewhere where they can live independently.

Furthermore, the project will focus on psychological support for refugee children, young people and their parents by using games, structured creative work, informal learning, theatre, sport, music, reading and any other activities that will improve self-esteem, trust, cooperation, well-being, safety and life skills.

Expected results

  • 800 children, including 400 with disabilities (200 girls), participating in inclusive sports and leisure activities, and education
  • 400 caregivers trained in appropriate caregiving for children with disabilities
  • 30 mainstream schoolteachers trained to support schoolchildren with disabilities
  • 20 sports coaches trained to adapt and facilitate inclusive sport
  • 2 DPOs trained to promote inclusion though inclusive sport

Partner

La Vie en Bleu

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Switzerland
Start date 01/01/2018
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project €Eur 124,626
Foundation funding €Eur 124,626
Project identifier EUR 2018421
Partners Autisme Genève
Categories Children with disabilities

Context

Autism and its characteristics are still a mystery to many people. This lack of knowledge can lead to a certain fear, or even intolerance, of people who are different.

Parents of autistic children still have trouble placing them in mainstream education. Education is not straightforward for children with autism who, when they become adults, find it hard to get a job, largely because most employers are not sufficiently aware of the specific characteristics of autism, which can be disconcerting.

Autisme Genève therefore decided to launch an awareness campaign entitled ‘La Vie en Bleu’. Blue is the colour of autism and it colours the existence of everyone connected to this developmental disorder. By participating in and organising events, and disseminating information, Autisme Genève seeks to engage with the public, inviting people to discover what ‘life in blue’ is like. It is a life that Autisme Genève committee member Elvira David-Coppex describes as rich and amazing, but also exhausting and frustrating because of the way people view those who are different. Now ten years old, Autisme Genève has launched an initiative to raise awareness of autism among the general public and make them more welcoming of people with autism.

Project content

The association has developed three key messages to raise awareness of autism:

  • 1st message: Make room for diversity!
  • 2nd message: Autism is not an illness; it is a neurodevelopmental disorder
    that can be hugely enriching if dealt with in the right way.
  • 3rd message: With early diagnosis and support, autism can be successfully managed.

Objectives

  • Teach people about autism in order to change public perceptions
  • Encourage parents not to be afraid if they suspect their child has autism and help them access appropriate care as early as possible
  • Inform paediatricians and childcare professionals so they can identify autistic characteristics and ensure support is provided quickly

Project activities

The project aims to increase access to safe accommodation and social care in Ioannina and Thessaloníki by expanding its existing arrangements to make 400 beds available in northern Greece. The beneficiaries in Ioannina will have access to a large community centre, which will be the venue for cooking events, language classes, Greek film nights, discussion groups, arts and craft events and child-friendly spaces.

In this way, Terre des Hommes will be supporting vulnerable children with caregivers by providing them with accommodation, and giving older unaccompanied minors (males aged 16–17) somewhere where they can live independently.

Furthermore, the project will focus on psychological support for refugee children, young people and their parents by using games, structured creative work, informal learning, theatre, sport, music, reading and any other activities that will improve self-esteem, trust, cooperation, well-being, safety and life skills.

Expected results

Since the start of 2018, Autisme Genève has released a video and an information brochure that are available to everyone.

In April, the focus was on sport with ‘La Vivicitta court en bleu pour l’autisme’, a mass-participation race involving hundreds of runners dressed in blue.

Autisme Genève was also chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the Match for Solidarity, organised by UEFA and the United Nations office in Geneva.

In May, a stand at the Geneva marathon enabled the association to reach out to thousands of people.

On 9 June 2018, the campaign was highlighted at the start of the Bol d’Or, when three boats sailed with the words ‘je navigue en bleu pour l’autisme’ (I’m sailing in blue for autism) on their sail.

The publicity spot for the ‘La Vie en Bleu’ campaign was shown at every screening during the Cinétransat festival. A special evening was also organised, for which all viewers were invited to wear blue.

On 14 September, Josef Schovanec, an autistic philosopher and writer, was welcomed by a crowd of 350 people at an autism conference in Geneva.  The following day, the screening of Sophie Robert’s film ‘Enfants autistes: bienvenus à l’école’ was followed by a debate about inclusive schools, which was attended by more than 100 people.

On 13 October, a scientific conference attended by 400 delegates heard from leading experts in the TEACCH approach, which focuses on the specific needs of people with autism.

2018 will end with the Escalade race, when Autisme Genève supporters will come together to form a huge blue wave of runners and walkers.

 

Partner

Football for Inclusion – Everyone invited to the pitch!

Location and general information

Closed
Location Moreno, Argentina
Start date 08/10/2018
End date Ongoing
Cost of the project €155,476
Foundation funding €104,400
Project identifier SAM – 01xx
Partners Asociación Civil Andar
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

People with disabilities have fewer opportunities to take part in football and integrate into mainstream society because they face various social or cultural barriers and discriminatory attitudes. This violates their human rights. In addition, they find it difficult to access public facilities, education, healthcare, employment and cultural and sports activities.

More than 1 billion people around the world live with some type of disability; at least 2 million of them live in Buenos Aires, the focus of Andar’s social intervention work.

Project content

Through a combination of work experience, sport, art, cultural and health-related activities, Andar promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities. Its Inclusive Football League uses the power of football to promote and foster the active participation of people with disabilities in society, while also addressing stigmatisation and prejudice.

With the foundation’s support, Andar will build the local community’s first inclusive and accessible sports facility for children with and without disabilities to aid their integration. In an effort to bring the best out of every individual and foster equal participation, it takes account of the physical, communicational and methodological aspects of accessibility.

Objectives

Andar’s programme aims to:

  • promote social change through football;
  • generate job opportunities;
  • promote autonomy and develop skills and abilities, empowering the people and communities involved; and
  • reveal the potential of people with disabilities.

Project activities

A total of 3,633 people currently participate in Andar programmes:

  • Therapeutic space: 59 people with disabilities
  • Inclusive social businesses: 86 people with disabilities employed per month
  • Inclusive Football League (LFI): 2,488 participants per year
  • Liga Buenos Aires: 920 participants per year
  • National League: 1,296 participants at national level
  • Inclusive Football School: 172 participants all year round, and their families
  • LatAm Festival: 100 participants from 10 countries across the region
  • Training and educational visits: 1,000 participants per year

Expected results

  • Opportunities to develop the potential of people with disabilities
  • Creation of facilities in which diversity is accepted and valued as part of the human condition
  • Information, tools and new training approaches that promote human rights
  • Access to sport for social change

Partner

Inclusion of children with disabilities in Bolivia

Location and general information

Context

In the United Nations Development Programme’s most recent Human Development Report, Bolivia was ranked 118th out of 188 countries, making it one of the least developed countries in South America. With a population of 1.8 million, Cochabamba is one of the most populous of Bolivia’s nine departments. This project is being carried out in Sacaba, Cochabamba’s second city in Cochabamba Department, where 36,3% (statistics from Instituta Nacional de Estadistica)  censosbolivia)of the population live below the poverty line and many persons with disabilities are unable to gain an education or access required specialist health care services.

Project content

The discrimination that children and youth with disabilities face in Sacaba represents a significant barrier to their personal and social development. Light for the World International organises workshops and fun sporting activities for those children in a bid to end their isolation by promoting an inclusive approach to education and changing perceptions of disability in Bolivia.

Objectives

  • Strengthen relations between children and youth with disabilities (beneficiaries) and their families
  • Build up the self-confidence of the beneficiaries
  • Foster the social inclusion of the beneficiaries
  • Contribute to mainstreaming disability inclusion in local networks and regulations of the municipal government
  • Improve access to health services for children and youth with disabilities
  • Promote inclusive education for children with disabilities
  • Train youth with disabilities to access the labour market
  • Empower children and youth with disabilities, as well as their families to stand up for their rights

Expected results

  • Organisation of fun sporting activities for children and their families at regular intervals during the year
  • Organisation of sporting activities such as athletics, swimming, basketball, football, handball, slalom and dancing two or three times a week
  • Training of sports teachers at the Simón Rodríguez Teacher Training College to foster the social integration of participating children
  • Organisation of annual competitions and tournaments for people with disabilities to change the negative perception of disability in Bolivia in cooperation with EIFODEC (Escuela de Integración y Formación Deportiva, Expresión Artistica y Entrenamiento Laboral/ School for Integration, sports training, artistic expression and vocational training)
  • Organisation of 40 visits to schools to foster communication between children with and without disabilities

Partners

Empowering refugee and marginalised children in Lebanon and Jordan

Location and general information

Context

The number of Syrian refugees in Jordan is estimated to be about 1.4 million: 20% live in five camps, 80% in urban areas in northern provinces and around Amman. Two-thirds of all registered refugees in Jordan are children or teenagers.

Lebanon has the highest refugee-to-host population ratio in the world: over 1.1 million registered refugees for 6.2 million inhabitants. One-third of the total refugee population is 5–18 years old, making this largely a regional crisis affecting underage youngsters.

Challenges are numerous and complex both for refugees and for host communities.

  • Young refugees live in situations of high uncertainty and often suffer from past trauma.
  • Many refugee and displaced children have no access to school or even non-formal education programmes, due to their critical living situation, and they often lack the necessary skills to enter or remain in educational programmes. Those who do attend school often suffer from low motivation due to a lack of future prospects and psycho-social support from role models.
  • Despite the effort of governments to provide formal and non-formal learning opportunities, access to both remains scarce for young refugees, and especially for girls and young women.

streetfootballworld addresses these challenges using the innovative non-formal education methodology football3. Named after its ‘three halves’ – a pre-match discussion, football game, and post-match discussion – football3 incorporates key life lessons, such as dialogue, fair play and gender equality, into every match. As football3 is played without referees, players must learn how to resolve conflicts by means of dialogue and compromise.

The streetfootballworld methodology harnesses the universal potential of sport by ensuring dialogue, fair play and gender equality both on and off the pitch. football3 brings together young refugees with youngsters from Lebanese and Jordanian host communities and allows barriers such as language, religion and culture to be surmounted. Young refugees outside and on the margins of formal education structures acquire the skills (e.g. strengthened resilience, conflict-management skills) and life skills (leadership and communication skills, self-confidence, increased willingness to include others and respect for women and girls, a sense of responsibility and accountability) to cope with critical challenges, lead self-determined lives, integrate more easily into the host society, be physically and emotionally healthy, and create positive change in their communities. As a result, these youngsters are more likely to stay and enrol in school, or pursue formal and higher education.

Project content

In Jordan and Lebanon streetfootballworld and its project partners have successfully implemented a variety of targeted football programmes for refugees at local level with support from the German government and the UEFA Foundation for Children. Having created synergies with local grassroot structures, the next step is to extend good practice from the pilot projects to regional level to support and empower vulnerable children and teenagers whose lives are affected by war and the refugee crisis.

Now we intend to increase reach and impact by taking the proven approach to new underserved areas affected by the refugee crisis and in dire need of innovative programmes for children. Local grassroots sports organisations will be equipped with the necessary skills, social networks and safe spaces to work at regional level with improved organisational capacity to foster social cohesion in a fragmented society. The capacity-building elements sustainably increase access to sport, promoting dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and friendship between young refugees and host communities.

To ensure a sustainable impact, the project comprises the following five activities:

  1. Capacity development: train volunteer youth leaders and coaches 18–22 years old to become role models in their community.
  2. Trauma-relief training for multipliers: to improve the lives of youngsters in Jordan and Lebanon, local experts will be trained specifically in trauma relief.
  3. Inclusive football3 sessions and festivals: with regular training sessions using football3 methodology tailored to each target group, boys and girls will develop life skills that include health, hygiene, personal development and awareness of their rights. During festivals, children, teenagers and their families are brought together, to involve the entire community and increase the reach of the project’s messages and engage more participants, in particular girls.
  4. Regional dissemination of lessons learnt and best practices: bring together NGOs in other countries that are also using football to help children and teenagers with the intention of creating a community of practice to improve support and knowledge transfer.

Objectives

  1. Improving the lives of Syrian, Jordanian and Lebanese children living in the project communities and taking part in the inclusive football3 and life-skill training programme
  2. Amplified personal development and self-realisation for programme participants
  3. Increased dialogue, social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities
  4. Civil society structures (institutionalised inclusive sports activities) have been set up so that multipliers can offer weekly football and life-skill training for marginalised children. Multipliers are able to identify trauma, know how to cope with traumatised children and are able to instruct others. They act as role models and are able to inspire others.
  5. All local partner organisations are empowered to consolidate and increase their capacities in the respective regions by increased sharing of knowledge of peace building and international understanding among local players and strengthened networks involving local project partners, governments, football associations and civil society.

Expected results

  1. 39 local multiplier courses held – multi-day workshops in Lebanon and Jordan
  2. 790 local multipliers trained – volunteer youth leaders and coaches aged between 18 and 22
  3. 9,300 regular inclusive football3 and life-skill sessions and 20 football3 festivals held
  4. 21,000 children took part in the weekly football3 training ( 60% refugees and 40% host community; 60% boys and 40% girls; ages 6–17) as well as another 6,400 children in festivals
  5. Three regional seminars, 30 regional football3 experts trained.

 Affiliated partners

Logo ccpa

Partner

Logo street football world

Protection, education and reintegration of street children in Bangui and Brazzaville

Location and general information

Context

According to the 2016 United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report, the Republic of the Congo is ranked 135th out of 188 countries, while the Central African Republic is bottom of the list (2016). The humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic and the endemic poverty in the Republic of the Congo are affecting highly vulnerable young children, including those living on the streets of Bangui and Brazzaville. These children can end up sleeping rough for many reasons. Whether it is a result of a forced marriage, economic pressure or fear of a ‘child witch’, these children are demonised and left to look after themselves on a day-to-day basis.

Project Content

Triangle Génération Humanitaire is an international solidarity organisation that helps to fight poverty in the world. In Brazzaville and Bangui, it hopes to develop prevention tools aimed at protecting vulnerable children. To this end, mobile teams of social workers and nurses go out into the streets of the capital cities of the Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic on a daily basis. By offering them a listening ear and psychosocial and medical assistance, the multidisciplinary teams guide the children towards suitable support structures. They also organise sports, games and other leisure activities using sports equipment made available to the children.

Objectives

  • To provide psychological, social and medical assistance to street children in Brazzaville and Bangui
  • To promote the social reintegration of vulnerable children:
    • by providing them with support and access to suitable services such as foster families or reception centres, which will all receive financial compensation
    • by offering them education provided by specialist local institutions
    • by offering them vocational training (in baking, weaving or repairing) provided by local instructors
  • To reunite broken families by providing support and mediation between children and their families
  • To help juvenile offenders in Brazzaville by offering them:
    • sports activities to help them learn values such as discipline, respect and hard work in order to prepare them for their release from prison
    • education sessions on high-risk activities such as prostitution, drug abuse and crime. These will be organised by the ‘Network of NGOs working with street children in the CAR’ (RFERC) and the ‘Network of NGOs working with children experiencing social disruption in the Republic of the Congo’ (REIPER)
  • To raise awareness of and educate politicians and the public sector concerning children’s issues
  • To help the project’s partners and child protection organisations, in particular by strengthening the organisational and operational capabilities of the RFERC and REIPER 

Expected results

  • 1,000 patrols carried out by mobile teams
  • Assistance given to 2,000 children
  • 23 places in foster families and 20 places in reception centres offered every month
  • 200 children placed in mainstream schools
  • 100 children reunited with their families
  • 550 visits to imprisoned minors
  • 60 education sessions for imprisoned young people
  • A three-day seminar on the protection of vulnerable children in Brazzaville

Partners

Socio-sports school for street children

  • Location and general information

    Context

    The legacy of decades of war in Afghanistan is a nationwide breakdown of social and economic structures. Poverty is the main determinant of child labour. Many families have no choice but to send their children out to work. Street work is the most common among children: they sell items such as cigarettes and newspapers all day long, exposed to harsh conditions and under threat of abuse.
    Action for Development has decided to tackle the issue of street children by launching an innovative project in the streets of Kabul that combines football with educational and nutritional services. The socio-sports school for street children will have a positive impact on marginalised youth wherever it is applied. Afghanistan’s context makes it a particularly good target for this project, not only because of the rapidly growing interest in football and the sport’s impact on the country generally, but also the positive effect it will have on girls in particular.

    Back-to-school activities
    Children over the age of six who have the potential to be reintegrated into the formal school system will be identified. This will be done in collaboration with local authorities, schools and parents.

    Awareness campaigns
    Meeting with families of children attending the school for awareness training. Mothers will be taught about topics such as children’s hygiene, disease and the dangers of drugs and prostitution. Special emphasis is placed on young girls’ issues as they are often the most vulnerable of street children.

    Local development
    Identifying children willing to take part i

n the project. As many as 120 children have already been enrolled but more children are to be given the opportunity to do so. Children need to be committed to attend the training sessions. Priority is given to orphans and children who have a disabled parent, and 50% of the participants must be girls.
Those children in need of medical assistance will be sent to the general health centre where they will be provided with free healthcare.
Sports activities will be run by coaches at fixed times during the week. Groups are formed according to age and where necessary by gender, and each group will have two sessions each week. The school’s tutoring activities will be held before or after the sports activities. All activities will be conducted in Dari and in Pashto, the main languages in Afghanistan. Attendance of the tutoring activities will be flexible to allow the children to keep working as this is still their only means of survival.

Objectives

  • The overall objective of this project is to provide the street children of Kabul’s district 11 with an opportunity to gain a basic education and learn to read and write.
  • Find a suitable location where the children typically work to avoid long commutes on foot.
  • Have suitable facilities for the socio-sports school that is easily accessible to children, close to the road, near the Ghazi high school (15-minute walk), and has a football pitch that could be used for playing football and training.
  • To develop social abilities through sport and football especially and help them integrate into normal school programmes.

Expected results

  • Train coaches to promote knowledge transfer and empower the local population
  • Provide 400 street children with extra nutrition and access to primary medical care
  • Reduce the number of illiterate street children
  • Work with 300 families to reintegrate some of the street children into the formal school system
  • Teach 300 families about the risks of street work, the importance of education, and hygiene and sanitation to reduce risks of disease

Partners

Cruyff Courts in the Dutch Caribbean

Location and general information

Context

Many people live in poverty on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saint Martin. The recent damage caused by Hurricane Irma, aggravated the local economy and the quality of life.

The project’s target groups live in residential areas just above the poverty line: work does not provide a living income. The quality of education has improved in recent years, but still not to a level that allows adults to live independent lives. Poverty in the Caribbean gives rise to health problems, including obesity, and sometimes leads to child abuse. For many children it is impossible to obtain a proper education, join a sports club and practise safely. This has serious consequences for the children’s health and personal development.

The Cruyff Foundation has been running its Cruyff Courts project since 2005 on Aruba and Bonaire, and 2006 on Sint Eustatius and Saint Martin. The project provides a safe place where children can play, socialise, make friends, and develop their own talent. These are valuable experiences that they carry with them as they develop physically and mentally, and as they move into adult society.

The project was set up in cooperation with the Dutch ministry of health, welfare and sports and is run in cooperation with local sports organisations.

Cruyff Courts have provided thousands of children with a safe public place to play football or other sports in the heart of their community. Cruyff Courts have been used extensively by children and teenagers in this region over the past decade, but schools, sports clubs and other residents have also benefitted from the project. We ran capacity training programmes for coaches in Bonaire, Aruba and Sint Eustatius in 2011.

Project content

Many children live in poverty and have no opportunity to practise sport or take part in activities that help them develop emotionally and socially. Sport is a universal language, regardless of a child’s background, culture, religion or ability. Through sport and play, children become fitter, learn to interact, and develop mentally and physically. We therefore encourage them to take part in the activities at the Cruyff Courts.

A Cruyff Court is a modern interpretation of the traditional playing field that used to be found in many districts and communities before urbanisation. It is the place where children learn respect, health, integration, development and inclusion. Every week thousands of children are active on Cruyff Courts around the world, where they find a safe place to practise sport outdoors.

The pitches on these four Caribbean islands have suffered a lot after 11–12 years of heavy use and need to be refurbished to remain safe places. In the meantime, Hurricane Irma destroyed the Cruyff Court on Saint Martin and damaged the one on Sint Eustatius. So, these two pitches will be replaced with the Cruyff Court Field in a Box concept instead of being refurbished. This is the same principle as the UEFA Field in a Box project, i.e. a specially designed, enclosed artificial pitch, as recently launched by the UEFA Foundation for Children in Madrid and Poland. These pitches are a sustainable, durable and efficient solution.

To ensure the sustainability of this project, a new programme, Heroes of the Cruyff Courts, has been launched. The goal is to turn young people into role models for their neighbourhood and have them involved with the community and the Cruyff Court in the longer term. Events are organised to give young people the opportunity to discover and develop their talents while also being challenged to try something new. The project trains Cruyff Foundation coaches who then oversee youngsters while they organise a sports event for children in the community.

Planning:

  • Summer 2018: Local coaches start training to become Cruyff Foundation coaches
  • Summer 2018: Refurbishment of Cruyff Courts on Aruba and Bonaire
  • Summer 2018/autumn 2018: Cruyff Court Field in a Box installed on Sint Eustatius and Saint Martin
  • Late 2018/early 2019: Inauguration of the new Cruyff Courts with the active participation of young people through the Heroes of the Cruff Courts programme
  • 2018–2028: Projects and activities run by locals (10-year contract) and continually monitored and evaluated by the Johan Cruyff Foundation

Objectives

  • Cruyff Courts will provide at least six hours of sports activities a week for local children
  • Recruit new youngsters to take part in the Heroes of Cruyff Courts programme: learning to coach and organise sports activities and events, while also learning some basic business skills. Everyone who successfully completes the programme becomes a certified coach.
  • 250–500 children attending, playing and enjoying sports activities on the different Cruyff Courts
  • 1 Cruyff Foundation Coaching Course
  • 4 Cruyff Courts inauguration events
  • 4 events organised by 30 heroes/young people in 2019
  • 15 new certified coaches

Expected results

We aim to inspire more children to practise sport and play at Cruyff Courts every day.
We expect to encourage more schools and local organisations to be active in sport.
We believe that once children discover the joy of sport, they will continue to be active for the rest of their lives:

  • Regular physical activities from a young age provides a long-term advantage in motor-skill development
  • Sport and play have a positif impact on concentration and improve academic performance at school
  • Children who engage in regular physical activity have a much lower incidence of psychosocial and behavioural problems

About the Cruyff Foundation

The Johan Cruyff Foundation is an international non-profit organisation that aims to improve the intellectual/mental/emotional and physical well-being of children and teenagers by:

  • Standing up for the interests of children and young people who have fewer opportunities in life
  • Offering and encouraging sport and exercise activities by facilitating Schoolyard14 and (special) Cruyff Courts
  • Financially supporting other projects and organisations with the same objective
  • Encouraging sport in conjunction with education and healthcare
  • Stimulating cooperation between various similar organisations in the Netherlands and abroad
  • Stimulating integration between the various sectors of the population
  • In addition to Cruyff Courts and Schoolyard14 special attention is paid to disabled children

The Cruyff Foundation works with sport assocations and clubs, the foundations run other leading athletes, local, provincial and national governments, schools, institutions, rehabilitation centres and professional football organisations.

Partners

A ball for all children, a goal for inclusion

Location and general information

Context

Visual impairment often raises questions or creates fear, especially fear of people who are different. Unfortunately, partially sighted or blind people are stigmatised and often seen or defined primarily as disabled rather than perceived as fully-fledged human beings. This attitude emphasises their exclusion and hinders their integration and inclusion in society, including that of the younger generations. Visually impaired children are often the target of taunts and thoughtless comments in schools. In Greece, schools’ lack of understanding or awareness is a barrier for inclusion.

Project content

Orama Neon Youthorama is a non-governmental organisation that has been operational since 2003. Following its international ‘Everybody Wins’ campaign, which promoted the Olympic and Paralympic values by using specially adapted footballs for the visually impaired, the organisation is now planning to launch the ‘A ball for all children, a goal for inclusion’ project. The project aims to inform and support schools, NGOs and the public sector organisations in order to create an inclusive society in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes. To this end, adapted balls that contain bells and feature the UEFA Foundation for Children logo will be distributed to the participants. These balls will play a key role in the project, in which the participants will play blind football, a sport that is truly inclusive. Every team must contain a mix of sighted and blind players, who must all demonstrate mutual understanding, trust and support as they work together as a team. Blind football also helps to promote a strong message of integration and social cohesion. By raising awareness, the project aims to change how visually impaired people are perceived. They should not be defined by their disability, but treated as fully-fledged players and people.

Objectives

  • To create a more inclusive society at local and international levels
  • To promote healthy lifestyles by improving access to sport for everyone

Expected results

  • To impact 1,000 schoolchildren through awareness workshops in 15 schools
  • To provide 500 balls to the project participants
  • To support visually impaired child refugees in refugee camps by giving them specially adapted footballs
  • To work in schools with a high number of blind and visually impaired children
  • To produce a promotional video in order to raise awareness of inclusion activities

Partners

Football for All in Vietnam

Location and General Information

Context

The Football for All in Vietnam (FFAV) project was initiated in 1997 and formally established in 2001 by means of a partnership between the Football Association of Norway (NFF) and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). FFAV uses football activities to teach life skills and promote cultural values to young children and adolescents. FFAV currently supports 1,541 teams at 183 clubs, with more than 17,000 children participating in these activities.

However, with certain children facing specific problems when it comes to integrating into their communities, this programme is set to be expanded in order to cover three specific groups:

  • Young girls – particularly girls from ethnic minorities – are often expected to conform to gender roles set out by society and their families, as well as facing issues associated with a lack of education and early marriage.
  • Children with disabilities are often treated as outsiders and seen as unable to fully participate in society because of their differences.
  • Children living on boats in resettlement areas face a plethora of societal issues as a consequence of being seen as different and inferior by local residents. This results in them being discriminated against, not wanting to go to school and not having many friends.

Objectives

This project will extend the FFAV model to cover these children, specifically allocating resources to these groups in order to help them address the issues they face through participation in football and life skills activities. Alongside funding from UEFA, additional programmes and resources will be deployed in order to meet the following objectives:

  • fostering social inclusion – especially among parents and children – by giving girls, children with disabilities and children from resettlement areas greater access to football activities;
  • helping and supporting local partners, enabling them to facilitate grassroots football and life skills activities on the ground;
  • helping to improve soft skills (including communication, self-confidence and teamwork) and raise social awareness of the target groups through football activities/events incorporating life skills;
  • promoting volunteerism and the development of leadership skills among young people in the community.

Project Content

Activities will be concentrated in specific areas of Thua Thien Hue Province: A Luoi District and Nam Dong District, resettlement areas and social centres. They will include the following:

Football training for coaches and referees at new clubs, plus life skills courses

  • Youth leadership programme
  • Volunteer training for members of local communities, including parents
  • Three ‘fun football festivals’ with a focus on integrating young girls from ethnic minorities, children from resettlement areas and children with disabilities
  • Study tour monitoring the needs and results of the project

Expected Results

Grassroots football will be introduced in seven new resettlement areas and maintained in four others. We expect the creation of football clubs to encourage children to stay in school, improving their level of education. Making friends in the community will lead to further social inclusion, while increased self-confidence will result in better communication skills. Children will learn life skills through club activities, which will reduce addiction and early pregnancies.
At least 2,000 disadvantaged children – including ethnic minority girls in two mountainous districts, orphans and children with disabilities in 14 social centres, and children in resettlement areas – will be included in FFAV’s football and life skills project as a matter of priority.
All children participating in the project will be taught about gender equality, social inclusion, children’s rights and other social problems associated with their community.

At least 500 adolescent girls – especially those from ethnic minorities – will be taught about reproductive health, financial management, health and hygiene, and communication.

We expect that participation in football activities at the various new clubs will result in more young girls becoming physically active. We hope to have equal numbers of girls and boys playing, which should help to gradually break down gender norms.

In addition, 13 existing football clubs in social centres and resettlement areas are to receive assistance, being given both operational and financial support.

Allowing children with disabilities to participate in football activities will help to improve social inclusion by fostering interaction with a wide range of different people. We want to increase awareness and understanding of the issues faced by children with disabilities, enable them to play and interact with other children, increase their self-confidence, improve their communication skills and encourage other children to play with them. Overall, this project aims to break down negative prejudices about children with disabilities, using football to show the contribution that they can make to society.

Partners


GOAL PLUS

Location and general information

Context

PluSport is the umbrella organisation for disabled sport in Switzerland. For almost 60 years, it has been promoting the integration of disabled people through sport. The UEFA Foundation for Children is supporting PluSport’s Goal Plus – Play Football project, the main aim of which is to use football and the passion it creates to enable all disabled children, including those who use wheelchairs, to play football. Enabling disabled children to play football gets them active, helps them to have fun and develops team spirit – all of which are essential to their integration.

PluSport uses football to promote disability sport among its 12,000 amateur members through 90 regional clubs, offering a variety of sports disciplines and organising about 100 camps.

Project content

Focus on subproject Play Football
PluSport attaches great importance to the promotion of football and ball sports in general as integration tools. Virtually all children and teenagers would like to be able to play football; it gets them active, helps them to have fun and develops team spirit – all essential qualities that help disabled children to progress in their daily lives. With the 2018 FIFA World Cup just around the corner, we expect more disabled children and teenagers to show an interest in playing football.

Through the Play Football subproject, PluSport is aiming to develop and broaden the use of football as a tool for integrating and promoting the next generation. All children need to be able to enjoy playing football, make friends and socialise. Our football-related activities are constantly growing. Thanks to initiatives and requests from partners and institutions, we have been able to offer disabled children and teenagers new opportunities to play football, in addition to the tournaments that we already organise.

Our objectives could be achieved and the corresponding activities carried out this year. At present, it is a matter of continuing with the project in a sustainable way while developing it at the same time.

Action plan:

  • Integration of individual children and teenagers, or a whole group, into PluSport clubs or regional associations of the Swiss Football Association.
  • Continued creation and support of PluSport football groups throughout Switzerland.
  • These teams train regularly (weekly), with supervision and coaching by PluSport.
  • A series of regular tournaments has been successfully established, with five or six tournaments organised each year. The aim now is to offer more opportunities by adding two or three tournaments per year. These events should be held in different parts of Switzerland.
  • Special final tournament for the winning teams of the individual tournaments held during the season.
  • Football-themed afternoon gatherings for able-bodied and disabled children (schools, vocational schools, churches, associations, institutions).
  • Use of infrastructure for training/matches (halls, pitches, changing rooms, etc.).
  • Coach education and remuneration.
  • Organisation of football camps for children and teenagers.
  • Rewarding of volunteers (coaches, referees, athletes).
  • Sourcing of equipment for training sessions and tournaments (footballs, bibs, etc.).
  • Retention of the Goal Plus project manager.

Objectives

To use football as a tool for integrating and promoting the next generation. All children need to be able to enjoy playing football, make friends and socialise.
The project comprises the following elements:

  • facilitated access to ball games for disabled children and teenagers
  • Goal Plus is an integral part of the Swiss sports landscape
  • involvement of the various target groups in disabled football
  • creation of new ball sports groups for children and teenagers
  • full, systematic promotion and development of disability sport
  • involvement in the project thanks to partnerships
  • targeted image transfer thanks to social responsibility
  • social integration through sport

Expected impact and results

  • Creation of new football teams
  • Organisation of weekly training sessions with supervision and coaching by PluSport
  • Maintenance and development of regular tournaments (for disabled children and teenagers)
  • A special final tournament for individual tournament winners
  • Football-themed afternoon gatherings
  • Long-term promotion of football by developing it and extending it to everyone

Partners

Improving communication and education for autistic children in Europe

Location and general information

Context

The UEFA Foundation for Children has decided to allocate its annual support grant for 2015 to a project designed to improve communication and education for autistic children in Europe. This project, submitted by the International Foundation of Applied Disability Research (FIRAH), has been approved by the Board of trustees of the foundation. Inspired by the innovative approach of the project, the UEFA Foundation for Children has adopted the words of Mahatma Gandhi to use as the slogan for the project:

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Thus the project to improve the lives of autistic children and their families, and to give them hope for the future.

What we are doing

The FIRAH is working with a number of partners to run this project: representatives of international and national associations for autistic children and their families; educational, social and medical services that come into contact with autistic children every day; and universities and research centres.

The project has three pillars:

  • Facilitating access to the latest educational material and equipment such as robots and tablets, adapted to the specific needs of autistic children and their families.
  • Training families and professionals working with autistic children so that they can help autistic children make use of new technology, with online guides and training available to families and professionals.
  • Developing applied research projects to assess the impact new technology (robots, tablets, etc.) has on the every lives of autistic children in order to improve the equipment and apps available. All such research projects will involve the children, their parents and professionals to deliver concrete results based on the needs and expectations of autistic children and their families.

The project will be implemented chiefly in six European countries in order to keep it relatively local and focused on the real needs of families.

The children, their parents and professionals will be involved in evaluating the results.

Our partners

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