Junior Camp

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Romania
Start date 04/01/2025
End date 10/31/2026
Cost of the project €164,900
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2024000421
Partners European Amputee Football Federation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle

Context

Children with amputations and limb differences are often confronted by a range of physical, emotional and social challenges, and research shows that disabled children experience more bullying and discrimination than their peers. Adaptive sports are crucial for their development but access remains limited or non-existent. Providing children with amputations and limb differences with opportunities to participate in football improves their well-being and enables them to integrate and develop.

Project goals

  • Create more opportunities for young people to play amputee football
  • Establish new national programmes and increase the number of players, girls especially
  • Use the cultural power of football to enhance disabled children’s sense of self-worth, build confidence and independence
  • Foster physical, emotional and psychological well-being
  • Enhance social integration and peer support, promote cultural exchanges between participants
  • Encourage lifelong engagement in sport and active lifestyles
  • Raise awareness and advocate for inclusion

Project content

Junior Camp is an annual amputee football camp that offers children from Europe and further afield an inclusive, supportive and empowering environment. It creates opportunities for children to play football, connect through the universal language of sport and develop their skills. The camp is also a platform for coaches to share knowledge and experience and for parents to bond with their children.

Junior Camp is more than just a single event; it is a tool to promote and develop national programmes and motivate children to train all year round. The 2025 camp is being held in Eforie Nord, Romania.

Activities

  • Amputee football training and games: professional coaches and players run specialised training sessions focusing on skills development and teamwork (drills, practice matches and technical exercises tailored to each player's abilities)
  • Safeguarding workshops for new and experienced coaches
  • Cultural experiences: opportunities to absorb the culture and history of the camp's host venue
  • Activities that bring parents and coaches together

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

Getting Opportunities and Learning in Social Studies (GOAL-S)

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Nepal
Start date 03/01/2025
End date 02/28/2026
Cost of the project €25,250
Foundation funding €25,000
Project identifier 2024000997
Partners Childreach Nepal
Categories Access to Sport - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

The Chepang are among Nepal’s most disadvantaged indigenous groups, classified as 'highly marginalised' based on various socio-economic indicators including population size, literacy rate, housing conditions, land ownership, occupation and access to higher education. Nearly 90% of the Chepang population lives below the poverty line.

A recent study by the District Public Health Office revealed that 45 to 86% of Chepang girls in Makwanpur marry between the ages of 12 and 15 – despite child marriage being outlawed in Nepal since 1963. Poverty, lack of education and awareness, and limited availability of food and opportunities to generate income are considered major contributing factors.

Project goals

Main objectives

  • Empower children to recognise and assert their right to protection from abuse
  • Establish strong collaboration and a unified approach to safeguarding children among parents, schools and communities in Makwanpur District
  • Develop and implement innovative, play-based teaching methods that foster active, immersive learning

Additional objectives

  • Incorporate sport and play in education and ensure that all children have access to structured recreational activities in school to support learning and engagement
  • Design and implement a sports-based curriculum that addresses critical social issues such as child protection, equality and harmful traditions
  • Encourage children to challenge stereotypes and advocate for their rights, fostering a culture of openness and empowerment
  • Raise awareness among parents and communities about child protection using engaging, sports-driven outreach programmes
  • Provide training for teachers and community youth leaders to integrate immersive, play-based techniques into their teaching practices

The GOAL-S project has already achieved positive outcomes, including increased participation, especially among girls, and heightened community awareness of child protection issues.

Project content

  • Weekly sports sessions led by trained youth leaders for approximately 300 children aged 11 to 14
  • Social studies curriculum that delivers key messages on child protection, educates children about their rights and encourages them to discuss what they learn with their parents, caregivers and other family members
  • Tailored games and activities that promote behavioural change to help children assert and claim their rights
  • Active consultation and engagement of teachers to incorporate their expertise and understanding of their students' needs, including a process of co-creation and delivery through which teachers acquire new skills in play-based pedagogy that they can apply in various contexts
  • Capacity development workshops and mentorship for teachers and youth leaders
  • Child protection training for parents and community members, with a view to co-creating a child protection mechanism
  • An annual football festival involving children, parents and community members to raise awareness of children’s rights and abuse prevention

Partners

Kick for Hope

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Jordan
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €400,000
Foundation funding €175,000
Project identifier 2024000682
Partners Association Football Development Programme (AFDP) Global
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Relative to population size, Jordan hosts the second highest number of refugees in the world, including 706,100 registered Syrian refugees (approximately 7% of the population). Unregistered numbers are much higher, estimated at more than 1.5 million or 20% of the population. Over half (51%) are children, and over 80% are surviving below the poverty line.

The Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps have been hosting Syrian refugees since 2011 who have never returned to their homeland. Overcrowding and a shortage of resources in the camps limit the recreational activities and safe spaces available for children to play and socialise. The absence of structured activities can result in boredom, frustration and behavioural issues, which further hinder children and young adults’ emotional and psychological well-being and development.

Project goals

  • Build the capacity of Syrian coaches and create opportunities for employment
  • Provide children with access to safe spaces to enjoy football and other sports activities
  • Promote life skills through sport
  • Create professional development and competitive opportunities for young refugees
  • Create football clubs in the camps
  • Enter Syrian refugee teams in the local U13 boys’ and U14 girls’ grassroots football leagues and the Jordan Judo League

Project content

  • Selection of Syrian youth coaches and administrators
  • In-person training for coaches, coordinators and admin teams
  • Ongoing football and other sports activities for children and young adults
  • Football leagues for all age groups
  • Judo and table tennis activities, and Zumba classes for girls

Partners

Football for All

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Lebanon
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €95,000
Foundation funding €63,000
Project identifier 2024000427
Partners Tawazon
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

The Football for All project helps Lebanese children by providing them with access to football training centres. Lebanese children have been adversely affected by a succession of economic, health, social and political crises that have impacted the country since October 2019. Their precarious situation was exacerbated by the huge explosion at a Beirut port in August 2020. This summer, they experienced the horrors of war.

Project goals

  • Create safe spaces where young people can play football
  • Give children from disadvantaged areas access to structured football coaching so that they can spend their free time on the pitch instead of falling victim to the dangers and vices that surround them
  • Teach children football skills and instil in them its core values (working together, team spirit, fair play, mutual aid and community) while shielding them from political, religious and sectarian conflicts
  • Promote the personal development and social integration of the country’s young people and help them to fill their after-school time

Project content

Football: getting started, progressing or perfecting their technique, depending on the participant's level.

Partners

Génération Sportive

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Morocco, Tunisia and Libya
Start date 01/02/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €260,247
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 2024000931
Partners Tibu Morocco
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

For children in Morocco, Tunisia and Libya, access to physical education is limited, the school dropout rate is high and the economic situation is far from easy. Moreover, in Libya and Tunisia, their lives are made even harder by war and instability.

Lack of access to sport and physical education is detrimental to children’s physical and mental health, and it limits their personal development. This can lead to young people taking risks, including illegal migration.

Project goals

  • Improve children’s physical and mental health by integrating sport and physical exercise into the school syllabus of 20 primary schools, encouraging 12,000 children to exercise regularly
  • Create jobs for young adults to foster their social and economic inclusion
  • Promote gender equality
  • Reduce the school dropout rate by creating a more stimulating and inclusive school environment
  • Offer an alternative to illegal migration by creating jobs for local people and opportunities for economic inclusion

Project content

  • Supervised sports sessions in primary schools featuring activities designed to improve children’s motor skills, coordination and self-esteem
  • Health and well-being workshops teaching young people about nutrition, hygiene and healthy lifestyles
  • Promoting gender equality through the equal participation of boys and girls
  • Training and employing 20 young adults as sports activity leaders
  • Annual national tours delivering sports and educational activities in schools across each country, including in rural areas, with the participation of 9,200 children as well as their parents and teachers
  • Engaging parents, teachers and the local community to ensure the programme’s sustainability

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

T.E.A.M Project

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Scotland
Start date 04/01/2025
End date 03/31/2026
Cost of the project €148,000
Foundation funding €78,144
Project identifier 2024001326
Partners Big Hearts Community Trust
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

In Scotland, vulnerable children affected by trauma, poverty, cultural differences, language barriers, disabilities or mental health issues are at risk of struggling with the transition from primary to secondary school. Support for these children has been found to be particularly insufficient in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Paisley, Motherwell and Greenock.

Project goals

The T.E.A.M project uses football as a tool to improve the resilience and social connectedness of vulnerable children. It aims to:

  • Encourage new friendships and social connections
  • Help to forge connections between participants and their community
  • Improve physical health
  • Boost confidence and well-being

Project content

The project delivers weekly football sessions alongside confidence and resilience-building activities for 250 marginalised children aged 10 to 12, and they are also given a healthy snack during each session.

More than 80% of the children experience an improvement in their confidence and well-being. Parents feel more confident in supporting their children and children feel better connected in their personal relationships.

A model and learning plan are being developed with a view to rolling the programme out to more Scottish communities in the medium to long term.

Partners

Prishtina Girls’ Football Team

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kosovo
Start date 02/01/2025
End date 07/31/2026
Cost of the project €161,650
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2024001492
Partners KFV Prishtina
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Cultural norms and structural barriers limit girls' participation in sport in Kosovo. A lack of institutional support and inadequate infrastructure are particular obstacles.

Thanks to the UEFA foundation, a big step forward has been made, however, with the creation of the first football field in Kosovo managed by a women’s team, KFV Prishtina, through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Municipality of Prishtina.

Project goals

  • Create a safe, empowering and inclusive environment where girls from all communities and of all abilities can thrive in football, breaking down societal barriers and encouraging equal, active participation
  • Advocate for girls’ rights, raise awareness of gender-based violence and promote gender equality, social inclusion and empowerment within and beyond football
  • Promote leadership, peacebuilding, diversity, teamwork, respect and negotiation skills for personal and professional growth

Project content

  • Strategic partnerships: Establishing of long-term MoUs with other stakeholders to ensure sustained access to schools and sports facilities, creating a robust ecosystem for women’s football in Kosovo
  • Media awareness: A joint press conference with the Football Federation of Kosovo to launch the project and a dedicated Women in Football channel supported by leading news portals, raising awareness of gender equality in sport
  • Infrastructure development: Improving and adapting sports facilities to ensure equal access for girls, essential football equipment and coaching resources, and dedicated spaces for female athletes
  • Mixed participation: Promoting the integration of girls into U9 and U11 boys' leagues to normalise mixed participation and address the challenge of limited girls-only leagues
  • FC Barcelona collaboration: Partnership with FC Barcelona to include girls in all Barça Academy activities in Kosovo, providing equal opportunities and promoting inclusivity in football from a young age
  • Gender-based violence prevention: Educational workshops for girls and coaches to teach about preventing and reporting gender-based violence in line with the UEFA guidelines on child and youth protection
  • Free coaching and role models: Free, structured football training sessions in schools, using national team players as role models to inspire and encourage young female athletes
  • Parent and community engagement: Establishing a parents' council for all U9-U15 teams, promoting increased parental involvement in girls' as well as boys’ football
  • Inclusivity for disabled girls: Ongoing free football training for girls with Down’s syndrome (MoU with Down Syndrome Kosova), promoting inclusivity and participation in sport
  • Women’s leadership in sport: Supporting and encouraging women’s participation in refereeing and coaching, increasing female representation in decision-making roles within football
  • Mental health and well-being: Advocating for the mental health benefits of sport, fostering resilience, confidence and well-being among young female athletes
  • Environmental sustainability: Empowering girls to take leadership roles in environmental sustainability initiatives, integrating sustainable practices into football training and events
  • Alignment with SDGs: Ensuring the project contributes to global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to gender equality, education, health and climate action through sport

Partners

Andahuaylas Sinkumunchis School

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Peru
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/21/2025
Cost of the project €28,825
Foundation funding €20,075
Project identifier 2024001434
Partners Sinkumunchis
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

In the Andean regions of Peru, inequality between rural and urban communities is striking. Children and young adults from Quechua-speaking communities growing up in rural, high mountainous areas often have low self-esteem and believe that their culture, traditions and language are less worthy than those of their urban counterparts. Ethnicity is also a dividing factor. Sports initiatives delivered in their language can help these children to develop good habits and socioemotional skills, in turn improving their life prospects.

Sinkumunchis has established sports academies in three different districts of the Cusco region since 2021, and in 2024 they expanded to the mostly agricultural Andahuaylas province high in the mountains.

 

Project goals

  • Run the Sinkumunchis sports programme for 800 children and young people in the rural communities of Lliupapuquio and Champaccocha (San Jerónimo district, Andahuaylas province) for the second consecutive year
  • Take the programme to more rural communities in Andahuaylas province
  • Promote and develop the sports habits and socioemotional skills highlighted in the Sinkumunchis Methodology

Project content

  • Nine months of football training sessions twice a week in each of Liupapuquio and Champaccocha, open to boys and girls aged from 4 and 20 years old and led by football coaches or physical education teachers. Equipment and material is provided and the sessions follow the Sinkumunchis Methodology
  • Competitive boys’ and girls’ U8, U10, U13 and U16 leagues featuring monthly matches against teams from other districts, with referees, uniforms and awards provided by Sinkumunchis
  • Two interdisciplinary educational programmes per year, comprising workshops, tours, training modules and more
  • A second comparative investigation into the well-being of participants and non‑participants in Andahuaylas
  • Expansion to one or more neighbouring communities, such as Pacucha, Argama or Ankatira

Partners

Mbo Mpenza Challenge

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Belgium
Start date 09/01/2024
End date 09/01/2026
Cost of the project €141,748
Foundation funding €85,000
Project identifier 2024000539
Partners Impala Performance ASBL
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Young people have been benefiting from the Mbo Mpenza Challenge’s football tournaments for seven years. For the last year, all schools in the French-speaking Community of Belgium have had free access to the project’s pedagogical resources through their e-learning platforms. Moving forward, the project wants to reach more children and develop its work within schools.

Project goals

  • Introduce the Mbo Mpenza method in schools as part of general civics and PE lessons
  • Promote inclusion and diversity through football
  • Educate young people on tackling discrimination
  • Raise responsible, respectful and tolerant citizens
  • Evaluate the project’s impact on young people
  • Broaden access to sport for all children, regardless of their socio-economic background

Project content

The Mbo Mpenza method fights all forms of discrimination through its work on three pillars: awareness-raising, training and action. By working with schools, the project hopes to broaden its reach and engage with children from all backgrounds who have not always had access to sport. With the awareness-raising and training aspects of the project already under way, focus now turns to the action pillar.

A number of activities and programmes are planned, including:

  • Organising the Mbo Mpenza Challenge, a national and international football tournament
  • Developing an application to assess results and ensure continued support for participants
  • Sponsoring children from disadvantaged areas to give them access to sport
  • Running educational workshops on topics such as fighting discrimination, first aid and nutrition
  • Educating young people through civics and French lessons and educational and sporting activities

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

Child Rights and Football Curriculum

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Mexico
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €75,000
Foundation funding €75,000
Project identifier 2024000750
Partners Street Child United
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality

Context

Young people in Mexico are confronted by high levels of criminality and lack of awareness of their rights, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Without knowing what protection, support and resources are available to them, many children remain trapped in a cycle of vulnerability and marginalisation, with limited access to quality education. Girls are particularly hard hit, thousands of them unable to access the same rights and opportunities as boys their age.

Project goals

  • Train ten local football coaches and two master trainers to deliver a programme centred around children’s rights, using football to bring about social change
  • Reach over 1,400 vulnerable young people across six cities – Baja California Sur, Guanajuato, Mexico City, Nuevo León, Oaxaca and Quintana Roo – empowering them with knowledge of their rights
  • Equip local coaches and communities to manage and expand the initiative independently, to ensure a lasting impact

Project content

  • Curriculum design and research: Research will be conducted with local partners and designed in collaboration with Everton in the Community, the English Premier League club’s charitable arm, to design a children’s rights curriculum that is tailored to the local context.
  • Train-the-trainer programme: A six-day session will be organised in Mexico City to teach the ten local coaches and two master trainers the curriculum, provide them with essential safeguarding training and monitoring and evaluation techniques, and prepare them to engage with children, earning their trust and encouraging participation from boys and girls.
  • Curriculum delivery: The eight-week curriculum will be implemented in six cities, combining football drills and exercises and discussions on the topic of children’s rights.
  • Sustainability: The local coaches will be empowered to independently manage and deliver the curriculum and use the train-the-trainer model to train additional community coaches.
  • Evaluation and reporting: A thorough, ongoing evaluation of the programme will ensure adjustments and improvements can be made as required.

Partners

Leadership through Sports

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Peam Ek, Battambang province, Cambodia
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €136,139
Foundation funding €30,481
Project identifier 2024000996
Partners Children’s Future International
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Today’s continually shifting economies need a workforce that can think analytically to solve ever emerging global challenges. Students in rural Cambodia lack opportunities to develop vital leadership skills like creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Traditional schooling focuses on memorisation as opposed to analytical skills and it does not include any sport or physical activity, which we know to be essential for health and well-being.

Project goals

Overall goal

Use sport to support the personal growth and leadership skills of 1,000 vulnerable children and young adults by creating a safe space where they can play sport, practise life skills and become role models for their communities

Specific aims

  • Create a safe space for boys and girls to play sport at the learning centre run by Children’s Future International
  • Develop engaged community leaders with strong communication, teamwork and critical thinking skills, ethics and accountability, while also promoting gender equality
  • Engage the wider community through positive activities that bring together children, young adults, parents, schools, teachers and local authorities

Project content

  • Construction of a sports complex including two football fields (one 90m x 50m and the other 30m x 20m), 1 volleyball court (18m x 9m) and related facilities (parking, toilets, sports equipment)
  • Implementation of the existing Leadership through Sports curriculum with 1,000 children and young adults, including 52 sessions and 8 league events a year, to which key community stakeholders are invited to attend
  • Promotion of physical activities to the over 100 students who attend the Children’s Future International learning centre daily

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