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

Empowering Mchinji Youth Through Sports

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Malawi, Mchinji district
Start date 02/01/2025
End date 07/31/2026
Cost of the project €92,347
Foundation funding €36,938
Project identifier 2024001465
Partners Our Aim Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The health and community centre in Tongozala, built in April 2019, includes a playground for younger children and a volleyball pitch for older ones. Our next ambition is to construct a multipurpose sports field and provide equipment for popular local sports like football and netball, as well as traditional dances and games, making it possible to organise training sessions, form teams and leagues, and host tournaments and friendly matches.

Project goals

  • Physical activity: Increase physical activity among 40,000 participants in 18 months (100,000 over the next three years)
  • Young sports leaders: Train at least 25 young leaders in sports-related skills and mentorship (50 in three years)
  • Community sports events: Organise four community-wide sports events a year (one every quarter), involving as much of the community as possible, as players and spectators
  • Coaching for brilliant athletes: Identify and provide specialised training (mentoring and coaching) to 25 particularly promising young athletes (at least 50 over the next three years)
  • Gender-equal participation: Ensure equal participation of girls and boys

Project content

  • Renovation of the existing playground and volleyball pitch by levelling the ground, marking boundaries and installing durable goalposts and netball poles, high-quality nets, perimeter fencing, benches for players and spectators, and proper drainage to enable year-round use
  • Cost-effective procurement of equipment for football, netball and selected traditional games and dances, including goalposts, nets, balls and kit
  • Weekly training sessions led by local coaches for children and adolescents grouped by age and skill level (at least 40% girls and young women), to develop skills, fitness and teamwork
  • Four community sports events hosted during the 18-month funding period, including friendly matches, cultural dance performances and traditional competitions to encourage broad community participation, foster social interaction and provide a platform for showcasing local talent
  • Simple logs and feedback forms to track attendance at training sessions and events, collect participant feedback, evaluate the programme and make adjustments where necessary to ensure the activities align with the project goals and community needs

Partners

Sportducation

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Liberia, Monrovia, Logan Town
Start date 01/06/2025
End date 02/07/2026
Cost of the project €32,437
Foundation funding €29,864
Project identifier 2024000327
Partners Aletha’s Legacy
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Logan Town is an extremely poor community where over 100,000 people live in extreme poverty, and access to education is limited. Children in the community face challenges such as child labour, harsh punishments, low primary education completion rates and disparities in education.

Project goals

Aletha's Legacy aims to improve access to education and thereby increase school attendance and completion rates in Logan Town, with a view to enabling the community’s underprivileged children to learn and hope for a better future

Project content

  • Organise sports and educational sessions for children in the community
  • Provide training for local coaches to enhance their skills
  • Implement peace-building workshops and empowerment initiatives aimed at young people
  • Provide resources and equipment for sports and educational activities
  • Collaborate with schools and community organisations to promote the programme
  • Monitor and evaluate the impact of the project on school attendance and academic performance

Partners

Life Goals – Future Skills through Football

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Austria
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €1,104,000
Foundation funding €108,000
Project identifier 2024000299
Partners Breaking Grounds - Social Change through Sport
Categories Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Every fifth child in Austria is at risk of poverty and exclusion. They are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to developing the psychosocial skills needed to face a dynamic future full of uncertainties. The consequences are negative effects on mental and physical well-being, lack of social participation and belonging, and a lack of preparation for the challenges of a changing world.

Project goals

Overall goals

  • Participants learn to believe in themselves, no matter what others think. They recognise and use their feelings and persevere when things get difficult. They courageously pursue their goals and know that they can make a difference.
  • Participants develop stronger personalities and better life prospects. Their socio-economic situation improves, promoting long-term and equal participation in society.

Specific targets

  • 2,000 pupils accompanied throughout Austria in 2024: 90% see improvements in their self-confidence, 85% achieve greater self-efficacy and 85% see improvements in skills such as perseverance, frustration tolerance and willingness to learn
  • 50 schools accompanied using the Life Goals method in 2024
  • 500 teachers/multiplicators trained to use the Life Goals method, which 120 teachers then use on a regular basis

Project content

Life Goals is an extensively tried and tested approach to teach future skills through football. In specially developed sports units, situations are simulated that require and train specific competences. After each unit, a guide is used to reflect on what was experienced on the pitch and to transfer what was learned to the children's everyday lives.

Since 2021, more than 2,700 children have demonstrably increased their self-efficacy with the Life Goals method.

Partners

Diepsloot Safe-Hub Empower Play programme

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location South-Africa, Johannesburg
Start date 02/12/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €97,024
Foundation funding €74,970
Project identifier 20231018
Partners Amandla KuLutsha
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Diepsloot, situated in the northern part of Johannesburg, South Africa, is a densely populated area facing various socio-economic challenges: high levels of unemployment, limited educational opportunities and insufficient resources for youth development. Additionally, widespread drug abuse has emerged as a critical concern, significantly impacting the well-being and prospects particularly of the younger residents.

Project goals

  • Establish an environment within the EduFootball programme, in which participants feel secure and supported, encouraging open dialogues and creating a non-judgmental space for sharing concerns and experiences
  • Cultivate positive relationships between coaches, mentors and participants by providing role models and support structures
  • Educate participants about the dangers of drug abuse through regular workshops and expert-led sessions
  • Address the unemployment crisis by running the Playmakers programme, offering accredited learnerships and practical work experience

Project content

The Empower Play programme is designed to address the specific challenges faced by the Diepsloot community:

  • Safe and supportive environment: The project aims to create a safe and supportive space within EduFootball, providing participants with a refuge from daily challenges. Open dialogues and a non-judgmental atmosphere foster trust and encourage participants to share their concerns.
  • Positive role models: The project seeks to counter the lack of positive role models in Diepsloot by showcasing success stories and organising motivational sessions. Inspirational figures from similar backgrounds demonstrate the transformative power of education and sport.
  • Substance abuse education: The drug awareness component directly addresses the substance abuse epidemic in Diepsloot. Workshops and expert-led sessions provide participants with vital knowledge about the dangers of drug abuse, and offer resources for those seeking assistance.
  • Employability enhancement: In response to the high unemployment rates, the EduFootball programme goes beyond sport by incorporating the Playmakers programme. This initiative provides accredited skills programmes and practical work experience, empowering unemployed post-high school youth with skills to enhance their employability.
  • Monitoring and evaluation: The project acknowledges the need for ongoing assessment to track participants' progress in various aspects, such as emotional well-being, education and employability. Continuous feedback ensures that the programme responds to the evolving needs of the Diepsloot community.

In essence, the Empower Play Programme is not only a response to the immediate challenges faced by Diepsloot, but also a proactive effort to empower the community's youth, break the cycle of unemployment and substance abuse, and pave the way for a brighter and more sustainable future.

The programme includes:

  • Life-skills training session
  • Fair play football match days
  • Holiday programmes
  • Night league tournaments
  • Playmakers workplace skills training

Partner

Fun Football in Nigeria

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Anambra, Kaduna, Benue and Kano (Nigeria)
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 03/31/2025
Cost of the project €200,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20230056
Partners Cross Cultures Project Association
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Nigeria has a population of nearly 224 million, of which 63% are 24 years old or younger. Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has faced almost constant conflict between the two major religions, between different ethnic groups and between pastoralists and farmers. This fighting has resulted in millions of deaths and unquantifiable social and material damage. In 2023, approximately 9.3 million people required emergency humanitarian assistance and nearly 3 million remained internally displaced. Women and children are particularly vulnerable: UNICEF estimates that six out of ten children in Nigeria experience some form of violence daily and nearly 20 million do not attend school, which puts them at an increased risk of violence, crime, child labour, poverty and recruitment by militias. In the northern regions, only 44% of girls receive primary education, and 48% marry before the age of 15. Moreover, unemployment among Nigerians aged 15–24 reached almost 53.4% in 2021. Nigeria is also highly susceptible to climate-change-related disasters such as floods and droughts, which exacerbate the humanitarian crises, conflict and poverty.

Project goals

Overall objective:

To promote peaceful coexistence, youth empowerment and child protection in Nigeria.

Specific goals:

  • To empower unemployed individuals with the skills and networks to promote peaceful coexistence, cooperation and social cohesion through Fun Football activities, while also enhancing their own resilience and opportunities to earn a living in grassroots sport or physical education.
  • To enhance child protection in conflict-sensitive areas with a focus on the most vulnerable, notably unschooled and internally displaced children.
  • To incorporate Fun Football into the curricula of primary schools in vulnerable communities as a means of promoting children's wellbeing and development and reducing the number of drop-outs.

Project content

Fun Football unites people across social divisions by helping them to find common ground around their passion for football and their hopes for their children's development and future. It also fosters children's social and psychological development by providing them with safe spaces to play, positive role models, new friendships, life skills and psychosocial support. Sport has been shown to play an effective role in keeping children in school since it promotes their social skills, mental well-being and self-confidence, all of which contribute to increased motivation and performance. Cross Cultures' Fun Football programme consists of three main activities:

  • Training for young leaders and coaches

Cross Cultures trains unemployed former footballers and women who are not in employment, education or training in action learning methods and the child-centred Fun Football philosophy so that they can take control of their lives and become more involved in their communities as volunteer leaders and coaches.

  • Open Fun Football Schools, Fun Festivals and other Fun Football activities

Children are given the opportunity to experience Fun Football with children from different backgrounds in a safe and peaceful environment characterised by friendship, non-violence, child protection and gender equality. The activities are led by the volunteer coaches and leaders.

  • Cross-sectoral cooperation:

The project works with 20 primary schools committed to introducing the concept of Fun Football. Cross Cultures aims to train 80 physical education teachers and coaches who will, in turn, train 5,000 participating students.

Partner

Girls Community League (GCL)

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Philippines, Tacloban
Start date 02/01/2024
End date 01/31/2025
Cost of the project €169,950
Foundation funding €32,975
Project identifier 20230961
Partners Fundlife International Inc.
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

In the Philippines, 4.8m children drop out of school every year, mainly due to poverty as they are forced to work. The poverty rate in the Leyte region is almost 48%, the second highest in the country after the Mindanao region. The COVID-19 pandemic had a catastrophic impact because schools were closed for over 700 days, and online education opportunities were not provided for the poor. Typhoon Rai in December 2021 aggravated access to education. School restarted in late 2022, but children have struggle to go back.

Project goals

FundLife's mission is to give every child equal opportunity and support to help them succeed. The GCL objectives are:

  • Provide children forced out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic and/or Typhoon Rai with access to safe play and learning spaces within their communities
  • Provide them with educational support during their back-to-school journey through our Play-Believe-Achieve methodology
  • Increase girls' engagement and decision-making abilities through a girls-front-and-centre approach

Project content

Girls Community League (GCL) is the continuation of FundLife’s flagship project, which is currently running in Tacloban and Cebu. GCL is designed to alleviate the negative impact that the pandemic and Typhoon Rai had on access to education. It is a girl-focused protection/education programme based on experiential play and learning that helps children 1) return to school after a 700+ day break; 2) not drop-out later on and finish their education; 3) improve their future employability or entrepreneurial skills.

Partner

Sport for Development

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Türkiye
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €250,000
Foundation funding €200,000
Project identifier 20230844
Partners Bonyan Organization for Youth and Development
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Syrian refugees and their host communities both face hurdles when it comes to playing sport in Türkiye. Limited resources, cultural differences and language barriers hinder access to activities, which has knock-on effects on people’s physical and mental well-being.

Project goals

Sport for Development seeks to create inclusive sports programmes that cater to refugee and host communities in Sanlıurfa and Adıyaman. By creating opportunities for refugee and local children to play sport together in a safe and supporting environment, we aim to foster mutual understanding and social integration, and promote inclusivity and gender equality. We will combine sport with specialised mental health and psychosocial support activities to empower these vulnerable children physically and mentally, equipping them with essential life skills, building resilience, and creating a sense of well-being and belonging in their communities. By doing so, we hope to be a catalyst for positive change, promoting the fundamental rights and holistic development of vulnerable children, irrespective of their background or nationality.

Project content

  • To increase girls' participation in sport
    • Girl-only programmes
    • Targeted campaigns
    • Gender-neutral sports activities
    • School partnerships
    • Involvement of parents and families
    • Accessible sports facilities
    • Collaboration with women's organisations
    • Scholarships and incentives
  • To incorporate environmental awareness in sport
    • Green sports equipment
    • Recycling bins and waste management
    • Upcycling initiatives
    • Awareness campaigns
    • Environmentally friendly sports events
    • Community clean-ups
  • To use football as a tool for mental health and psychosocial support
    • Football for stress reduction
    • Team-building activities
    • Mental health awareness sessions
    • Peer support networks
    • Therapeutic football sessions
    • Sport as a coping mechanism
    • Celebrating successes
    • Referrals for professional support
  • E-football league
    • Organisation of league matches
    • Monitoring and registration of results
    • Play-offs and finals
    • Prizes and awards
    • Feedback and evaluation

Partner

Peace Field Project

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Belgium, Mesen
Start date 01/04/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €100,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20230280
Partners Children's Football Alliance
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Young refugees, migrants, physically or developmentally disabled and poverty-stricken teenagers from war-torn communities have few opportunities to take ownership of peacebuilding projects. Low self-esteem, a lack of aspiration, mistrust and antisocial behaviour continue to fuel discord and disparity amongst cross-border communities. The situation remains hostile thanks to intergenerational relationships that often nurture resentment, making these young people easy targets for paramilitary recruitment.

Project goals

  • Help young people to develop their organisational, communication and intervention skills as well as teaching them about multiculturalism, conflict resolution and mindfulness
  • Establish annual events celebrating peace through football on ‘peace pitches’ twinned with the Flanders Peace Field.
  • Demonstrate the power of play
  • Advocate for equality, diversity and social inclusion.
  • Raise awareness of health and well-being, including mental health
  • Foster empathy and compassion among the participants
  • Nurture the peacemakers of tomorrow

Project content

The Peace Field Project (PFP) is a pedagogical programme designed to foster peace through play. The open online educational resources, toolkits and webinars prepare all participants for the week-long Global Peace Games, which feature mixed-gender and mixed-ability sports, excursions, art and music activities as well as workshops on conflict resolution, multiculturalism, deradicalisation and humanities. Peace education through play will harness the power of sport to create the peacemakers of the future.

Partners

Flexible Education and Sports for Children out of Education System in Afghanistan

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kabul, Charikar and Bagram, Afghanistan
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €258,558
Foundation funding €75,000
Project identifier 20231088
Partners Action for Development
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Extreme poverty and food insecurity have increased in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over and banned education for girls. Poverty due to the failing economy has caused an increase in vulnerable children seeking survival on the streets doing small jobs or selling items to support themselves and their families. These children come from vulnerable families, some of which have migrated to the cities in search of better living conditions, security and food. They are employed in dangerous jobs, exposing them to abuse, illness, injury or even death.

Project goals

AfD supports street-working children (6–13 years old) by providing semi-formal education (basic literacy, numeracy, sport) and food, psychosocial support, football training, etc. We also have a class of 49 children who receive vocational training (English and computer classes). Since the education ban, AfD has set up home-based schools to provide girls over 13 years old with an education. The organisation is committed to empowering children to build their resilience.

The main objective is to provide children with quality education so that they can support themselves when they become adults. Our aim is to reduce poverty and child labour. With a rise in street-working children, AfD’s objective is to open more classes. The goals are as follows:

  • Provide access to quality education and food for 750 children (through centres for street working children and home-based schools)
  • Improve gender parity
  • Enhance opportunities for girls to gain an education through a digital learning platform
  • Increase the capacity of the vocational education and training programme to 50 students

Project content

The various activities and programmes organised to achieve the above goals are as follows:

  • Introduce a digital platform to increase access of girls above 13 years old to quality education.
  • Establish 6 education centres to facilitate enrolment of girls and street-working children.
  • Provide one daily meal, football lessons, health checks and vaccinations to street working children.
  • Conduct awareness sessions on the importance of education and sport for girls.
  • Increase the participation of teachers in teacher training sessions.
  • Ensure a safe learning environment for social inclusion and networking.

Partner

Fostering Youth Leadership

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kenya and Uganda
Start date 02/01/2024
End date 01/31/2025
Cost of the project €32,734
Foundation funding €15,900
Project identifier 20231140
Partners Power for the People
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

In a world where education is increasingly accessible, it's crucial to look beyond mere enrolment numbers and focus on the quality of experiences within schools.

While strides have been made in getting more girls into classrooms worldwide, there's still work to be done to ensure that education reaches beyond attendance to personal growth and empowerment.

Gender norms often limit girls’ opportunities for socialisation and personal development, leaving them with less leisure time and fewer chances to explore their potential. Boys, too, can be left behind by aid initiatives that primarily target girls' education.

PFP believes in creating inclusive spaces where all children can thrive. It has created the PFP Boys and Girls Clubs initiative, a convenient and effective way of supplementing traditional education. The clubs offer a holistic approach to education, encompassing everything from sports and physical health to digital literacy and environmental stewardship.

Project goals

  • Set up 15 PFP Clubs in three schools, leading to improved pupil attendance and attainment.
  • Engage school staff as teacher ambassadors who will offer mentorship and encouragement, increasing teacher and pupil engagement.
  • Recruit and train 30 student ambassadors (ten in each school) who will improve their leadership skills.
  • Enable 900+ pupils across the three schools to participate in an extra-curricular club offering them informal learning opportunities, peer support, personal development and improved physical and mental health.
  • Connect the participating schools to foster shared learning opportunities.

Project content

PFP Clubs will be set up in three schools to provide opportunities for boys and girls to develop personal leadership skills and learn essential life skills, like decision-making and communication. The clubs will provide safe and supportive spaces for young people to discuss issues they say are important to them: menstrual and sexual reproductive health, mental health, sports and physical health, environmental stewardship and digital literacy. They will learn to challenge gender norms and advocate for equality.

Each club will have two student ambassadors who will have access to a leadership and personal development programme. They will be tasked with developing and implementing a year-long programme to engage other pupils in activities. They will be given a small budget to manage, creating opportunities to take responsibility and be accountable to their school and their peers.

Regular online calls will connect pupils and teachers in the three participating schools so that they can learn together. The programme will culminate in an annual innovation prize to foster student-led solutions to the challenges they have identified.

Partner

Kick for Hope

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Azraq and Zaatari, Jordan
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €420,000
Foundation funding €175,000
Project identifier 20231224
Partners Association Football Development Programme (AFDP) Global
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

The Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps have been hosting Syrian refugees since 2011. The refugee camps are as big as ever, and 50% of the population are children. The Kick for Hope project, established with UEFA in 2011, continues to support those children and young adults by providing meaningful football activities intertwined with social support, to harness the positive impact of sport on children.

Project goals

  • Engage with Syrian refugee children and young adults by organising football and other sports activities
  • Train and educate Syrian refugee coaches and referees and provide them with tools to run their own activities
  • Integrate a specific life skills curriculum based on the context and needs of the children involved
  • Establish football clubs within the camps
  • Empower children, cultivate leadership skills, and promote physical and mental well-being
  • Establish a Zaatari Camp Youth Club and enable members to participate in local competitions

Project content

AFDP Global has a team of coaches at the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps who manage daily football activities for over 6,000 children and young adults. The organisation runs an education programme for the coaches to ensure they have the skills required to coach young people to the standard expected of them.

This work is bolstered by friendly competitions organised within the camps, giving the youngsters the opportunity to put their training into practice.

AFDP Global also organises activities that promote positive social change. These activities are integrated into the coaching curriculum to ensure a seamless transfer of knowledge and capitalise on the youngsters’ enthusiasm for football.

The organisation also works with other NGOs in the camps, sharing knowledge and participating in complementary initiatives to encourage more football activities and improve the quality of all the activities provided.

Partners

We Welcome Young Refugees

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kraainem, Belgium
Start date 11/30/2022
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €140,000
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20231120
Partners Royal Europa ’90 Kraainem FC
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Personal development

Context

Royal Europa ’90 Kraainem FC is an amateur football club that has established itself in Belgium as ‘the club of diversity’. In response to the sudden increase in the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe, in September 2015 the club decided to launch an integration project showing how to support young refugees and asylum seekers, most of them unaccompanied minors. Since spring 2022, the club has also been working with Ukrainian children.

Project goals

The primary objective is to support asylum seekers and refugees, helping them to get active again and feel at home in their community. In doing so, the club also wishes to share its experience and approach with other stakeholders and civil society organisations that can take inspiration from what’s being done and set up projects of their own.

Project content

The club hosts groups of young refugees and asylum seekers, boys and girls, every afternoon during the football season, from September to May. They take part in discussions and train with the club’s youth teams. This initiative is intended as part of a long-term process of integration – a process in which we believe football plays a vital part.

Partners