Girls4Football

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom
Start date 05/24/2024
End date 05/24/2025
Cost of the project €450,000
Foundation funding €-
Project identifier 20240001
Partners Mastercard and local implementing organisations
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Girls4Football is a social impact initiative launched by Mastercard in partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children. Rooted in the long-standing collaboration between Mastercard and the UEFA Champions League, the programme addresses the need for inclusive, empowering opportunities for young girls in Europe. It responds to the growing recognition that sports, particularly football, can be a powerful vehicle for personal development, social inclusion, and gender equality.

The initiative was officially launched on March 18, 2025, and is being rolled out in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. It aims to reach over 1,000 girls aged 8 to 16 in its first year. This marks the beginning of a three-year project, with this being the first phase of the initiative.

Project goals

The primary goals of the Girls4Football programme are to:

  • Empower young girls through access to free football training and socio-educational activities.
  • Promote physical and emotional well-being through regular sports and leisure engagement.
  • Foster life skills such as teamwork, discipline, and resilience.
  • Enhance financial literacy by teaching participants how to manage money, budgets, and investments.
  • Encourage career aspirations in and around football, including roles off the pitch.

Project content

The programme includes a variety of components designed to support holistic development:

  • Football Training: Free, inclusive sessions focused on skill-building, teamwork, and fun, with a strong emphasis on encouraging girls to participate in sports.
  • Financial Literacy Course: Workshops and interactive sessions that teach essential money management skills, helping girls build a healthy relationship with finances from a young age.

Special Events:

  • Opportunities to serve as Mastercard Player Mascots at UEFA Champions League matches in cities like Paris, Munich, Milan, Madrid, and London.
  • Meet-and-greets with female football ambassadors who serve as role models.
  • Workshops with professionals such as nutritionists, physiotherapists, and referees to expose girls to diverse career paths in sports.

Local partners: To bring this initiative to life, Mastercard and the UEFA Foundation for Children have partnered with NGOs from the five countries:

Partner

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

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

Construction of an artificial football pitch

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Madagascar
Start date 02/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €406,043
Foundation funding €120,000
Project identifier 2024000804
Partners AKAMASOA
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment

Context

Madagascar is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. Since 1989, Father Pedro Opeka and his humanitarian organisation, AKAMASOA, have been fighting the extreme poverty that plagues the country on a daily basis by providing emergency aid to those in greatest need, building houses, educating children, providing healthcare, helping people find employment and providing vocational training for young people.

In 1989, AKAMASOA helped 140 families from the capital, Antananarivo, settle 60km away in Antolojanahary, where the organisation built houses, a dispensary, schools and sports facilities. The village now has a population of 6’000.

Project goals

  • Build an artificial football pitch on the existing dirt pitch for the village’s 2,190 schoolchildren as well as other youngsters from the village and surrounding areas, giving every child the chance to play football, have fun, escape their difficult living conditions and the difficulties their country endures, and develop a sense of community
  • Enable children to play football not only in their school sports lessons but also, under supervision, during their free time and at weekends
  • Stage matches between local teams of children and young adults, bringing together residents of surrounding villages and developing a sense of community

Project content

  • Construction of an artificial football pitch for use by:
    • one nursery, one primary school, one secondary school and one college;
    • 2,190 children from primary to high school age (figures from the 2024/25 academic year).
  • Daily sports activities and competitions, including matches every weekend.
  • The pitch will be monitored at all times to ensure the facilities are being properly looked after.

Partners

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