Ensuring continued access to education for Afghan girls

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Afghanistan
Start date 02/01/2025
End date 01/31/2026
Cost of the project €235,079
Foundation funding €23,350
Project identifier 2024000956
Partners Right to Learn Afghanistan
Categories Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

The circumstances remain dire for women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. According to estimates by UNICEF, 3.7 million children are out of school and tens of thousands of female educators have lost their jobs. According to the UN Development Programme, 85% of Afghans live below the poverty line.

Project goals

Overall objective

  • Ensure continued access to education, employment and essential supplies to students and their families

Specific objectives

  • Increase access to secondary education for Afghan girls
  • Improve the literacy and well-being of students and their families
  • Give Afghan children and their families access to free, high-quality resources in their own language to further their education and careers, and instil a love of reading and healthy lifestyles

Project content

To increase access to secondary education for girls who are denied access to formal education, the project will invite, assess and enrol new cohorts of Afghan girls into the Darakht-e Danesh (‘knowledge tree’) classroom programme.

The project will hire and train qualified Afghan teachers, with a priority on employing women. Additionally, students will receive internet data packages to ensure reliable access to online learning.

To enhance literacy and well-being among students and their families, the project will procure and distribute so-called ‘learning plus baskets’, which contain educational materials and food to support students’ academic performance and overall well-being.

Over a nine-month academic cycle, students will receive instruction in 11 subjects, with mid-term and final exams to track progress and ensure the desired learning outcomes are achieved. Grades will be given to reinforce a sense of achievement and accountability.

Right to Learn’s cherished Darakht-e Danesh library will continue to grow its collection of inclusive resources that promote active, healthy lifestyles, career development, lifelong learning and a love of reading.

Finally, a robust monitoring and evaluation framework will be used to assess the effectiveness of the programme, track student progress and refine activities to maximise impact.

Partners

Fun Football in Nigeria

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Nigeria
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €200,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2024000573
Partners Cross Cultures Project Association
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Personal development

Context

Nigeria is simultaneously Africa’s most populous country and one of the youngest, with 63% of its 224 million people aged 24 or younger. Despite being the largest economy on the continent, Nigeria faces extreme economic inequality – 40% of the population live in absolute poverty and 53% experience multidimensional poverty.

Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has also faced persistent interreligious and ethnic conflicts, particularly between its two major religious groups, Muslims and Christians. The conflicts have led to millions of deaths throughout the years and caused significant social, economic and infrastructural damage. Nigeria is currently plagued by violence, particularly in the northeast, where Boko Haram and other extremist terrorist groups have been active since the early 2000s.

According to UNICEF, six in ten children in Nigeria experience violence in their daily lives and around 20 million do not go to school. The situation is particular dire for girls, who are more likely than boys to miss out on education, especially in the northern regions, where only 44% of girls receive a primary education and 48% marry before the age of 15. Out-of-school children are particularly vulnerable to violence, crime, child labour and recruitment by militia, making them less likely to break the cycle of poverty and conflict.

Young adults are another vulnerable group in Nigeria – nearly 40% of 25 to 34-year-olds are unemployed, while unemployment among 15 to 24-year-olds reached a soaring 53.4% in 2021. The resultant uncertainty and discouragement have damaging effects on individuals, communities, economies and society at large. Unemployed and underemployed young adults are less able to contribute to national development, have fewer opportunities to exercise their rights and often have limited capacity to bring about change in their lives and communities.

Project goals

Overall objective

Promote peaceful coexistence, improve the well-being of vulnerable children and empower young adults in Nigeria

Specific goals

  • Offer safe and child-friendly spaces to engage 4,000 children aged 6 to 14 in monthly youth-led sports and cultural activities that foster cooperation and positive relationships across societal divides
  • Promote peace, trust and cohesion among divided communities in target areas
  • Empower 100 young leaders and coaches who are not in education, employment or training, and provide them with networks, training, tools and hands-on experience to enable them to become active community participants and role models
  • Set up volunteer associations to enhance the soft skills and abilities of these young leaders

Project content

Fun Football

The Fun Football project involves community-based and child-centred activities that foster communication and cooperation between adversarial groups, increasing trust and promoting positive relations. The project brings people together in safe and inclusive social environments through play and common interests – namely children’s well-being. Trained volunteer youth leaders and coaches organise Fun Football activities and festivals, which comply with the following fundamental principles:

  • Games must be fun and non-competitive; children play in mixed teams with, never against, each other.
  • The activities must bring children, coaches, football clubs and communities together across societal divides.
  • The activities must promote an inclusive environment and ethnic and social diversity. At least 30% of the children participating must be disabled, refugees, orphans or vulnerable children not normally involved in organised sport.
  • The activities must promote girls' football; 40–60% of participants should be girls and women.
  • The activities must be organised by trained volunteer coaches.

Youth Leadership Education

There are two levels to the Youth Leadership Education project: basic and advanced. The basic level took place in 2024 and consisted of a three-day interregional seminar, five days of practical sessions with children and individual feedback from experienced instructors. Participants were trained as volunteer coaches, enabling them to organise Fun Football events for children and engage different communities across social divides. This allowed the young leaders to enhance their communication, organisational and problem-solving skills, while expanding their social networks.

The second level will provide advanced training to volunteer leaders and coaches, with a focus on local sustainability. To ensure that this project continues to run in the medium to long-term, young coaches will be encouraged to integrate these activities into existing football clubs or set up their own grassroots clubs. They will learn how to start, manage and develop democratic volunteer associations in collaboration with regional football associations. Running Fun Football activities alongside local associations will not only enhance sustainability and promote local ownership, it will also provide the coaches with a platform to develop and implement their own sports-based community initiatives, strengthening their sense of agency and entrepreneurial skills and broadening their networks.

Partners

Youth Transformation

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kenya
Start date 02/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €126,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2024001568
Partners Mathare Youth Sport Association
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Young people in the Mathare district of Nairobi face a myriad of challenges ranging from unemployment and poverty to social exclusion and violence.

Crime and violence are commonplace in the slum communities of Kenya, and children and young people are highly vulnerable to such acts. According to various studies, young people are both frequent victims and perpetrators of crime.

This highlights the urgent need for initiatives that harness the power of sport to address the multifaceted challenges facing young people today.

Project goals

  • Empower young people by developing their essential life skills and leadership qualities and providing opportunities for personal growth and social inclusion
  • Foster social cohesion and harmony by bringing together diverse communities through shared sports experiences and collaborative initiatives
  • Integrate sports and education to enhance learning outcomes, promote healthy lifestyles and advocate for gender equity while equipping young people with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful
  • Raise public awareness of the negative effects of risky behaviours and work with the community to combat such behaviours
  • Educate communities about harmful stereotypes and promote respect for diversity

Project content

Mathare Youth Sports Association encourages sport as an alternative to risky and anti-social behaviour, offering sufficient structure, discipline and incentive to steer children and young people away from drugs, violence and crime. It runs boys' and girls' football leagues in a safe, inclusive environment and with an emphasis on life skills and values. These leagues serve as an intervention tool to address problems facing the community.

The project's activities include:

  • Football for all league
  • Sports training programmes
  • Life skills workshops
  • Mentorship programmes
  • Community engagement initiatives
  • School outreach campaigns
  • Coach education sessions
  • Gender initiative campaigns
  • Monitoring and evaluation

Partners

Sports development programme

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location South Africa
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €166,000
Foundation funding €30,000
Project identifier 2024001091
Partners Grootbos Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Gansbaai, like other semi-rural areas in South Africa, struggles with youth unemployment, resulting in limited opportunities and a pervasive lack of hope among young people.

The situation is compounded by a number of challenges typical of disadvantaged communities: elevated school drop-out rates, poor public transport, gender-based violence, alcoholism, drug use, high levels of depression and other socio-economic pressures.

Project goals

  • Offer an engaging, fun sports programme during and after school to ensure that children and teenagers have a safe place to go, accompanied by trained adult coaches (target: 3,000 children)
  • Teach mental health and coping skills, menstrual health, gender-based violence awareness, HIV/AIDS awareness, wildlife conservation and nutritional health to support the local schools’ educational programmes, giving children hope and encouraging them to persevere with formal education
  • Deliver inclusive programmes to people of all ethnicities, ages, genders and abilities to ensure no one is left behind
  • Ensure awareness of nature and encourage conservation efforts
  • Help young people pursue careers and achieve financial stability to reduce dependence on state aid

Project content

  • In-school programme: physical education projects in 10 schools, and assistance with subject choice and career planning for teenagers
  • After-school multi-sport coaching: football, netball, hockey, girls' rugby, cross-country running, athletics, water safety, surfing, canoeing, gross motor skills for early childhood, adapted games for young people with special needs
  • Four holiday programmes a year
  • Tournaments and competitions
  • Mental health projects using surf therapy
  • Ocean and land conservation programmes
  • Awareness projects that use football to address gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS
  • Menstrual health/sanitary pad project
  • Rising stars project offering elite sporting opportunities
  • Training modules for coaching staff

Partners

Powering Potential

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location United Kingdom and Ireland
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/19/2025
Cost of the project €182,464
Foundation funding €93,964
Project identifier 2024000177
Partners Rio Ferdinand Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Personal development

Context

In the UK and Ireland, many young adults from minority ethnic groups and working-class communities are at a disadvantage in the world of work, despite recent progress among some communities. A collaborative approach aimed at increasing social inclusion and upskilling marginalised young people to enhance their employability is the only way to drive genuine social change.

Project goals

  • Build the transferable skills, confidence, employability and social capital of socially excluded young adults through a football-based programme
  • Provide role models from different communities and backgrounds to inspire and motivate young adults
  • Build a network of brands, employers and community organisations offering upstream opportunities, such as professional mentoring, careers events and pathways
  • Develop a best practice model to attract sustainable mainstream funding for long-term transitional change across target communities

Project content

  • Year-round community-based football activities aimed at building relationships
  • Personal development workshops and soft-skills training
  • Accredited leadership courses, training courses on equality, diversity and inclusion, self-confidence, coaching and digital media
  • Opportunities to connect young adults with relatable role models, mentors and industry insiders
  • Careers events, opportunities and pathways that engage various industries, including cultural and creative sectors, football-specific advertising, media, tech, music and fashion

Partners

Girls Community League: Life Skills Plus

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Philippines
Start date 02/01/2025
End date 01/31/2026
Cost of the project €127,150
Foundation funding €33,700
Project identifier 2024001198
Partners FundLife International Inc.
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Nearly 5 million children in the Philippines drop out of school every year, most as a result of poverty, which affects almost 48% of the population in Leyte province. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated matters: public schools closed for over 700 days, leaving many students without access to learning resources or support. In 2021, Typhoon Rai further disrupted education by displacing families and destroying schools. As a result, vulnerable young people face significant barriers to completing their education, girls especially. Without targeted support and remedial programmes, many risk being trapped in a cycle of generational poverty and limited opportunities.

Project goals

  • Provide a safe space for girls to play futsal, guided by inspiring female role models. Key: nurturing environment, consistency, regularity
  • Educate girls about how to navigate common challenges such as teenage pregnancies, reproductive health, mental health and online safety. Key: empowerment, mental and emotional well-being
  • Provide practical, hands-on training and guidance to help girls identify opportunities and make informed career choices. Key: employability, confidence

Project content

  • Football for development sessions: Fun training sessions for girls Mthat also teach about environmental protection, water, sanitation and hygiene
  • Champion sessions: Interactive discussions with young mentors who inspire girls with stories of accomplished athletes and others
  • Mentorship: Engaging with the girls to develop their critical thinking, creativity and confidence
  • Capacity-building: Training and workshops for local teachers and youth leaders so that they too can deliver sustainable education and support programmes for girls
  • Local league games: Weekly futsal matches that enable girls to develop their technical skills, build networks with peers and practise overcoming psychological and emotional challenges
  • ‘Life skills plus’ sessions: Training in technology, digital skills, business and getting a job

Partners

Young Women’s Economic Empowerment at Malaika

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Democratic Republic of Congo
Start date 02/01/2025
End date 01/31/2026
Cost of the project €239,285
Foundation funding €60,000
Project identifier 2024001267
Partners Georges Malaika Foundation
Categories Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Girls and young women living in rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo face a number of obstacles when trying to enter the world of work. Even those lucky enough to have finished school or completed some level of education struggle to find a job. They are restricted in their choice of career and access to resources, a situation exacerbated by cultural norms and gender stereotypes.

Many are forced into low-paying and often exploitative jobs that offer little job security,minimal benefits and limited prospects for upward mobility, trapping women in a cycle of poverty and vulnerability and putting them at risk of dependency or abuse.

Entrepreneurship is a potential pathway to economic empowerment, but a lack of funding, support, training and role models makes it difficult for girls to get started, overcome barriers and make careers for themselves.

Project goals

  • Educate and empower: All girls and women who participate in the project are taught about entrepreneurship and financial literacy and equipping with the necessary skills and opportunities to explore diverse career paths and launch their own small businesses.
  • Enhance business skills: 80% of girls and women interested in beginning their own business ventures say they are equipped with the confidence and knowledge to do so.
  • Create strong networks: The organisation has built diverse, long-term, stable and productive relationships with five companies that will offer internships for female programme participants.
  • Launch a seed fund: Programme participants are given the skills needed to launch small businesses in their community.
  • Ensure equitable access: The Malaika community centre has given more than 1,500 young women and girls access to vocational and professional training, equipping them with the necessary skills to find decent and dignified employment.

Project content

Malaika is an African-led grassroots non-profit, created in 2007, that empowers communities through education, skills and health programmes. It has impacted the lives of thousands of children and their families in rural Kalebuka and surrounding communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The organisation is also committed to investing in girls’ education and lifting communities out of poverty through livelihood, water, sanitation and hygiene and agricultural initiatives.

The Young Women’s Economic Empowerment project educates girls aged 13 and older on entrepreneurship and leadership in the Malaika school and community centre. Launched in 2024, this project takes a holistic approach to empowering young women by combining education, real-world experience and financial support to unlock their potential as entrepreneurs and changemakers in their communities.

Participants engage in a comprehensive educational programme that includes workshops, simulations, mentorship opportunities and career development courses. Through partnerships with local businesses, participants gain access to internships and job-shadowing opportunities, fostering real-world experience and professional connections.

A highlight of the initiative is the annual pitch competition, where participants present business ideas to a jury of educators and entrepreneurs. Winners receive seed funding to bring their ideas to life and are supported through ongoing mentorship to establish and grow their ventures. This activity is a critical stepping stone for young women, particularly those who may not pursue higher education, empowering them to build sustainable businesses that address community needs.

A sustainability plan is being developed to ensure that entrepreneurship education continues beyond the project’s duration, with an eye toward rolling out the programme in more communities.

Partners

Values on the Field: Football for social development and equity

Location and general information

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

Context

Context

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

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

Project goals

Overall goal

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

Specific objectives

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

Project content

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

Partners

Badgers Next Gen

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Cap Town, South Africa
Start date 01/15/2025
End date 12/15/2025
Cost of the project €27,105
Foundation funding €27,105
Project identifier 2024001424
Partners Badgers Football Academy
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

A study in the UK found that 43% of girls had dropped out of sporting activities by the time they had gone through puberty; 68% indicated that it was because they felt judged and 43% said that it was because they felt unsafe.

South Africa is an extremely unsafe place for girls. It has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. On average in 2024, over 15,000 women were assaulted every three months and almost 1,000 were murdered.

South Africa also has one of the highest levels of wealth inequality in the world. The World Bank reports that 55% of the country lives in poverty. Cape Town specifically suffers from deep-rooted gangsterism and spatial and housing inequality as an ongoing result of the apartheid Group Areas Act, which forcibly removed black people from so-called white-only areas.

Public transport in South Africa is unreliable and riddled with safety issues, and an incredibly small number of sports clubs cater specifically for girls. As a result, it is virtually impossible for the majority of girls to find safe, supportive and professionally run sporting communities.

Project goals

  • Provide a safe and professional football environment for girls living all over Cape Town
  • Create pathways for girls to grow, athletically and personally, building confidence, improving physical and mental health, improving academic performance, building and strengthening friendships and creating a sense of belonging
  • Offer school scholarships to players in need of additional support
  • Provide safe transport home after dark for all who need it
  • Upskill female coaches and referees through funded courses and practical experience throughout the season
  • Build strong relationships with players’ families to ensure a strong support network for all
  • Ensure players have access to healthy food and drinks on game days

Project content

Badgers Football Academy is a Cape Town football club owned and run by women for girls and women. It breaks down the barriers that exclude girls from sport and uses football to empower young women, by giving them access to a safe and supportive, values-driven, professional football environment.

  • Professional coaching three times a week
  • Ongoing mentorship from coaches and older players
  • Sports equipment, tracksuits and kit
  • Nutritional meals on game days
  • At least 10 school scholarships per year
  • After-school tutoring and academic support
  • Regular team-building activities and an annual friendship-building camp

Partners

Empowering Zambian adolescents to conserve nature through sport

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Basanga community, Musungwa chiefdom, Itezhi-Tezhi district, Southern Province, Zambia
Start date 03/31/2027
End date 03/31/2027
Cost of the project €125,250
Foundation funding €54,750
Project identifier 2024000945
Partners Game Rangers International
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Over two-thirds of the estimated 12,000 people living in the remote Basanga community are under the age of 19. These children and adolescents face many challenges, including a lack of education, food insecurity and inadequate healthcare.

Basanga lies on the edge of Zambia’s largest and oldest protected area, Kafue National Park, a rich ecosystem home to 30% of the country’s total elephant population and countless large carnivore species. Desperate community members living in poverty are drawn to poaching as they face scare employment opportunities and may not see the value of natural resources. At the same time, the absence of law enforcement lowers their risk perception. Single unemployed women in Zambia are particularly vulnerable to being exploited by the illegal wildlife trade. Women are considerably less likely than men to report wildlife crime and are drawn to exchange information, sex and secure accommodation on the borders of the park for bushmeat or money. This dangerous cycle of transactional sex perpetuates the spread of HIV, gender-based violence and unwanted pregnancies.

Project goals

  • Reduce wildlife crime in and around Kafue National Park by raising awareness of conservation efforts and empowering young people through vocational training
  • Improve young people’s health, well-being, problem-solving, leadership and resilience
  • Prevent unplanned pregnancies, child marriage and sexual and spousal violence in Basanga by championing sexual health education and empowering girls

Project content

Game Rangers International (GRI) is building a multi-purpose community youth sports centre for the Basanga community. Over the next two years, with critical support from the UEFA Foundation for Children, GRI will engage, educate and empower children and adolescents at the centre, helping them to develop their skills and surrounding them with positive role models.

To this end, GRI will:

  • Recruit and train a groundsman responsible for security and maintenance
  • Recruit and train a community outreach ranger to schedule activities, develop content, coordinate partnerships and facilitate sessions
  • Furnish and equip the centre so it can serve as a classroom, exhibition space, sports centre and outreach office
  • Decorate the centre with conservation awareness posters and information
  • Encourage children and adolescents to visit through radio broadcasts, posters and school visits
  • Offer structured weekly football training and fitness sessions for children and adolescents
  • Establish a vocational skills station and invite local professionals to offer short vocational courses for young people
  • Offer children and adolescents training on environmental conservation, girls’ empowerment and life skills

Partners

Football for Economic Empowerment and Improved Mental Health

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Netherlands, Ter Apel
Start date 03/24/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €100,172
Foundation funding €73,352
Project identifier 2024001105
Partners KNVB WorldCoaches
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Migration is a divisive issue, especially when it comes to asylum policies. The Dutch government’s announcement of new asylum and migration rules, including plans to repeal a law that ensures accommodation for people with refugee status is distributed fairly across the country, has led many municipalities to abandon plans for asylum shelters, worsening overcrowding at the central reception centre in Ter Apel.

There are two central reception centres in the Netherlands, run by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). All unaccompanied minors are sent to Ter Apel, which now houses more than five times the permitted number, resulting in poor living conditions and neglect. Without education, activities or mentorship, children are reportedly showing more signs of trauma on leaving the centre than when they arrived, and the COA is struggling from lack of resources.

Project goals

  • Empower young asylum seekers and refugees living in Ter Apel by training them to become community coaches who organise regular, structured sports activities for children
  • Teach young asylum seekers and refugees leadership skills, help them take on mentorship roles and foster a sense of responsibility within the community
  • Improve the mental health of both the community coaches, through a renewed sense of purpose and self-worth, and the children who benefit from the positive, structured activities they organise

Project content

  • Football and life skills train-the-trainer courses will be provided to minors housed at the reception centre and refugees living in Ter Apel.
  • Children will be involved in practical sessions so that the course participants can put theory into practice.
  • In groups, participants will be tasked with organising daily sport activities for children.
  • If moved to a different part of the country, WorldCoaches will put the participants in contact with their nearest football club or reception centre so that they can continue their coaching activities.
  • Awareness events will be organised, for example on International Migrants Day.

Partners

Football for All

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Vietnam: Cao Bang, Can Tho, Ha Giang and Quang Tri provinces, and an additional two provinces in the Mekong Delta (provinces tbc based on feasibility studies)
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €159,951
Foundation funding €101,733
Project identifier 2024001059
Partners Football Association of Norway (Football for All in Vietnam project)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

In many ethnic minorities in Vietnam, boys enjoy more social and cultural opportunities than girls, who are expected to grow up to be wives and mothers. Girls therefore tend to be less educated, forced into early marriage and denied the chance to develop in other areas of life.

Project goals

  • Raise awareness of gender equality among ethnic minorities by fostering equal participation of women and girls in football and life skills education
  • Empower and equip girls and women in an additional two provinces by offering leadership training based on the Football for All in Vietnam model that has been funded by the UEFA Foundation for Children in Ha Giang province since 2022

Project content

The 138 football clubs in Ha Giang, Quang Tri, Cao Bang and Can Tho provinces that were funded by the UEFA Foundation for Children between 2022 and 2024 will be given additional football equipment and continued support, and new clubs created, with:

  • football coaching courses at 41 new football clubs in Quang Tri and Cao Bang provinces;
  • training courses for female life skills instructors at each new club;
  • climate change education at the clubs in Cao Bang and Ha Giang provinces in the far north of the country;
  • regular football and life skill activities at all 138 existing clubs; and
  • 118 ‘Fun Football Festivals’ at the existing clubs.

The project will also be extended to another two provinces, with:

  • a feasibility study in each province;
  • the creation of 30 new football clubs, with football coaching and life skills training courses at each club;
  • 30 ‘Fun Football Festivals’ (one per club);and
  • two provincial ‘Fun Football Festivals’ (one per province).

Partners

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Aktive Jen Yo (Activating young people)

Location and general information

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

Context

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

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

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

Project goals

Overall goal

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

Specific objectives

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

Project content

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

Partners

Breaking Barriers : Well-being, Sport, and Social Integration for Children in Conflict with the Law in Madagascar and Cameroon

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Madagascar and Cameroon
Start date 12/01/2024
End date 05/31/2025
Cost of the project €300,000
Foundation funding €120,000
Project identifier 2024001074
Partners Grandir Dignement
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Improve the living conditions, physical and mental well-being, and social and professional integration of children in conflict with the law in Madagascar and Cameroon, by supporting local actors and promoting children's rights

Project goals

  • Improve conditions for children in detention and ensure they meet the fundamental needs of children in conflict with the law
  • Promote personal development and foster social and professional integration for children in conflict with the law
  • Empower children to advocate for their rights and increase societal awareness of their rights and needs

Project content

 

To ensure children in detention experience improved living conditions and enhanced physical and mental well-being:

  • Daily nutritional support
  • Medical support and essential supplies (first-aid kits, medicines and hygiene products)
  • Ensuring access to urgent medical care, including hospitalisation, psychological support, nutritional care and detoxification services
  • Facilitating access to sport, recreation and cultural activities during detention and legal proceedings, including football, dance, circus, basketball and theatre
  • Football tournaments involving young people from other associations and/or schools
  • Rehabilitation of detention infrastructure, including sports, sanitation and kitchen facilities

To ensure children are supported in developing their skills and life plans to achieve social and professional integration:

  • Co-development of life plans with children, guided by educators
  • Financial support for school fees, vocational training and income-generating activities tailored to each child's own plans
  • Regular visits and meetings with families to support, educate and empower them in their parenting roles

To ensure children in conflict with the law become active advocates for their rights in society:

  • Awareness-raising workshops for minors in detention facilities
  • Workshops led by peer mentors, i.e. young people previously supported by Grandir Dignement
  • Artistic productions to encourage personal expression and creativity

Partners

Second Chances

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Hungary, Budapest
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €69,440
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 2024000843
Partners Second Chance Sport Association
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Many skilled teachers have recently left the profession, which is impacting young people’s access to quality education. Without role models to guide them, children can lose the ability to think critically and struggle to make important life decisions. A lack of critical thinking can foster hostility and prejudice. At the same time, those stuck in a fixed mindset will find their opportunities limited.

Project goals

  • Create sustainable spaces where everyone, regardless of background, has access to community sport programmes that contribute to their physical and mental well-being
  • Tackle discrimination by building young people’s self-esteem without relying on in-group and out-group dynamics
  • Provide a place for learning about our differences and understanding others, encouraging critical thinking and promoting the added value of diversity

Project content

The programme follows two decades of work spent empowering at-risk groups and fostering their social inclusion. Activities on and off the pitch have proved effective in creating strong communities and offering a sense of belonging to groups left behind by society and their peers. Football connects the programme participants, who can learn through shared experiences and develop transferable skills that are essential to gain back governance over their lives. Sports activities include regular football training, a fair play football roadshow, summer camps and participation in international sports events, where the diverse team put together by Second Chance represents Hungary. Activities off the pitch focus on skills development (e.g. digital skills training), empowerment (e.g. an early pregnancy prevention workshop) and programme sustainability (e.g. training for coaches).

Partners

Blind Solidarity

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Mali, Bamako
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €59,000
Foundation funding €40,000
Project identifier 2024000675
Partners Association Libre Vue
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The political situation in Mali is highly unstable, and relations with France are particularly tense following the European country’s military withdrawal. This instability and widespread conflict contribute to high levels of internal displacement and poverty in one of the poorest countries in the world. In 2012, Libre Vue launched the Blind Solidarity project at the Institut des Jeunes Aveugles in Bamako (a school for 250 visually impaired children living in highly precarious conditions). The association built infrastructure including a special pitch suitable for blind football and started offering regular football coaching.

Project goals

The charity’s next steps as the project continues are to:

  • resurface the artificial pitch for blind football in order to improve playing conditions and enable Blind Solidarity to rent it out and therefore become more self-sufficient
  • step up educational measures on how to keep the pitch and its surroundings clean and in good condition
  • foster the long-term growth of blind football among girls
  • use social media to communicate more effectively throughout the country using social network

Project content

  • Resurface the artificial pitch for blind football
  • Hold regular discussions with the families of girls, in particular
  • Implement routine pitch-maintenance measures
  • Train the manager of the facilities

Partners