Move the Ball, Change the World

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Madrid and the Valencian Community, Spain
Start date 03/01/2026
End date 03/01/2027
Cost of the project €111,300
Foundation funding €57,500
Project identifier 2025000526
Partners Fundación Red Deporte y Cooperación
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

The Valencian Community experienced floods in 2024, and since then around 40% of young people in the areas affected report mental health problems and difficulty concentrating on their studies. Young people in the disadvantaged Fuencarral-El Pardo district of Madrid face similar issues.

Project goals

  • Increase 440 young people’s resilience and personal and social growth
  • Break down cultural and social barriers that often prevent girls and young women from participating in sport
  • Highlight the importance of positive masculinity and boys being allies in achieving gender equality
  • Train 30 coaches in mental health and gender equality through football

Project content

  • Running training sessions, workshops and other football-related activities
  • Training coaches in mental health and gender equality
  • Holding a one-day football festival in Madrid and two festivals in Valencia on gender equality and resilience
  • Holding a two-day tournament in Valencia for participants from both Madrid and Valencia to learn from each other through football and workshops
  • Sharing a manual on football, gender equality and empowerment in Spanish and English with at least 100 social organisations

Partner

We live together, learn and play

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Madrid, Spain
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €213,113
Foundation funding €20,000
Project identifier 2025001114
Partners Asociación Alacrán 1997
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

The main critical issues detected are the vulnerability of children and adolescents regarding their mental and physical health. Anxiety, stress and unwanted isolation have been identified, along with unhealthy habits related to nutrition, sleep and excessive smartphone use. There is also an increased risk of tobacco, alcohol and other drug consumption.

Project goals

  • Support the personal and social development of vulnerable children, helping them to acquire life skills and develop key values.
  • Create a community environment that provides a protective, caring space for children and adolescents, and guarantees their rights.
  • Support the active engagement of children and adolescents, and serve as a model for other projects and initiatives in the community and society at large.

Project content

The project, with football at its core, promotes the holistic development of 130 vulnerable children and adolescents aged between 6 and 17. We believe that sport and civic activities are powerful tools for supporting children’s physical and mental health, strengthening their social and personal skills and instilling key values like equality, respect and teamwork. The project aims to use those tools to create safe, inclusive spaces where children can grow, be empowered, and become agents of change in their communities.

To achieve these objectives, the project delivers activities and programmes in the following areas:

  • Football activities, including running a football school, training youth coaches, organising community sports events and campaigning for equality in sport.
  • Comprehensive social, emotional and educational support both individually and in groups, including additional schooling, training workshops and a mental well-being group.
  • Educational leisure activities and training for youth monitors.
  • Setting up councils of children and adolescents to promote active engagement in decision-making.

Partner

League for Equity

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Lisbon and Porto (Portugal); Praia (Cabo Verde)
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 06/30/2027
Cost of the project €101,932
Foundation funding €81,545
Project identifier 2025001110
Partners Social Innovation Sports Hub (SISH)
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

In Portugal and Cabo Verde, girls from vulnerable communities face persistent socio-economic challenges and gender-related barriers that limit their access to education, sport, and opportunities for personal development. In urban areas, poverty, family instability and social exclusion are widespread, while safe, inclusive spaces for girls are scarce. This is reflected in the development of women’s football; participation rates are nine times lower than in the men’s game, and girls often give up the sport because of cultural prejudice and a lack of suitable training opportunities. There is an urgent need for initiatives to promote equality, empower vulnerable girls and encourage long-term social change.

Project goals

Our overarching mission is to get more girls from vulnerable communities taking part in sport and to give them more opportunities for personal development.

Our specific objectives are:

  • to increase girls’ participation in football and reduce dropout rates;
  • to foster leadership, inclusion and empowerment;
  • to enhance girls’ social and emotional skills and build their confidence;
  • to develop menstrual literacy and create safe spaces for discussions on health, equality and well-being;
  • to build support networks by engaging families and communities.

Project content

The project uses football as a tool for social change. It incorporates the inclusive training methods specifically tailored to female athletes, combined with educational initiatives designed to promote menstrual literacy.

SISH runs social and educational events designed to engage the community and build capacity. As well as empowering coaches and future leaders, the project also creates safe spaces where girls can play football, which helps them develop their leadership skills and self-esteem.

The project is delivered in three ways:

  • Training sessions are held twice a week and focus on developing technical, physical, social and emotional skills.
  • Monthly workshops are open to participants in the programme and to the community more widely. They promote leadership, equality, menstrual dignity, good health and general well-being.
  • Quarterly community events bring together groups from different areas. They strengthen community bonds, raise awareness of the project, and give people from a variety of backgrounds the chance to socialise together.

Partner

Kids Love Sport

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Czechia
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 06/30/2027
Cost of the project €136,000
Foundation funding €66,000
Project identifier 2025000321
Partners Gymnathlon Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Sport provides children with important life skills, promotes personal growth, social integration and mental well-being, and can help to prevent lifestyle diseases. Children in orphanages and from socially disadvantaged backgrounds in Czechia and Slovakia do not have the same access to sport as others.

Project goals

Prepare children for adulthood by helping them transition into independent and healthy lives:

  • Ensuring that children achieve better physical fitness through regular participation in sport, which contributes to overall health
  • Using sport to help prevent lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, which are increasingly common among children in modern society
  • Encouraging children to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle, which will benefit them not only during their childhood but also into adulthood
  • Helping children build confidence by participating and succeeding in sport
  • Teaching children the importance of collaboration and cooperation in sport and in life
  • Using sport as a tool to enhance children’s cognitive abilities and emotional health

Project content

Gymnathlon Foundation runs weekly courses in orphanages and nearby facilities that focus on overall physical development and introduce children to various sports, such as gymnastics, athletics, volleyball, basketball, tennis and parkour. The programme is designed to be fun and engaging to ensure maximum participation and long-term impact.

Special sports days are held directly at orphanages to further engage the children, the coaches receive continuous training to improve their skills, ensuring high-quality instruction, and the older children are given the opportunity to become assistant coaches, which not only builds their skills and experience but also provides income opportunities.

Partner

A pathway away from violence for children and young adults

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Zone 3, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Start date 01/05/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €41,346
Foundation funding €29,215
Project identifier 2025002431
Partners Asociación de Maestros de Educación Temprana Plantando Semillas
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

During Guatemala’s civil war (1960–96), an estimated 200,000 people were killed or forcibly disappeared, and more than 1.5 million were displaced amid widespread human rights violations, most notably against indigenous populations.

Over 10,000 people live in Zone 3 of Guatemala City, many of whom were displaced during the conflict. The zone is also home to the city’s garbage dump; residents build homes on its periphery and sustain their families by collecting and selling recyclable materials.

Although the armed conflict officially ended in 1996, its consequences persist. Violence, poverty, inequality, discrimination and weak public institutions continue to define daily life, and youth gangs have expanded rapidly in marginalised urban areas like Zone 3.

Children and teenagers growing up in Zone 3 are continuously exposed to community violence and extreme poverty, and lack access to safe public spaces. Families are under constant strain from economic insecurity, while schools, social services and mental healthcare remain severely under-resourced. Together, these conditions lead to chronic stress, anxiety and trauma, placing children’s development, safety and future opportunities at risk.

Project goals

  • Offer a football training programme to improve players' football skills, teamwork and fair play, while fostering friendship and discipline
  • Provide at-risk children and teenagers with a path away from violence by engaging them in healthy recreation through sport and support their education
  • Boost academic success, reinforce the importance of education and provide children and teenagers with spaces and opportunities to nurture the skills they need to succeed
  • Offer opportunities to practise sport through football, basketball and volleyball groups
  • Ensure that participants have access to additional services, including psychosocial support, and provide their caregivers with parental assistance

Project content

Intensive football training

Structured, high-quality football training for children and teenagers, combining physical conditioning, technical skill development, teamwork and discipline. Practices are led by trained coaches who promote values such as respect, perseverance and non-violent conflict resolution.

Tutoring

 Individual and small-group academic assistance to address learning gaps and support participants’ academic performance, encouraging them to stay in school. Tutoring focuses on core subjects such as reading, writing and mathematics, while also reinforcing study habits, goal setting and self-confidence.

Scholarships are available for a small number of participants to support them in school.

Psychosocial support groups

Psychosocial support groups are held twice a month, providing safe, facilitated spaces where children and teenagers can explore psychological topics to strengthen emotional regulation, communication skills and healthy coping strategies. The programme promotes social-emotional well-being and helps participants reduce anxiety, improve relationships and develop a stronger sense of self-worth.

Sports groups

 Recreational basketball, volleyball and football groups offer inclusive, structured activities that promote physical health, teamwork and positive social interaction. Sessions take place weekly, and participants can explore different sports, helping them to develop cooperation skills and positive peer relationships. The groups also serve as safe spaces that keep children and teenagers engaged during high-risk hours, reinforcing healthy routines and community connection.

In addition to the sports groups, the athletic court at the community centre remains open throughout the week for unstructured play.

Motivated women programme

Group sessions focused on emotional well-being, personal development and life skills to support mothers and women. The programme strengthens self-esteem, stress management, communication and peer support networks, while also addressing challenges related to caregiving, economic pressure and community violence. By supporting women and mothers, the programme reinforces family stability and enhances positive outcomes for children and teenagers.

Partner

Smart Ball

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Türkmenabat city, Lebap region, Turkmenistan
Start date 01/05/2026
End date 12/18/2026
Cost of the project €69,020
Foundation funding €32,000
Project identifier 2025001508
Partners Taze Zaman NGO
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Young people in Türkmenabat have limited access to quality extracurricular activities, particularly in sport and civic education. Around 60% of schools lack adequate sports facilities, and girls’ participation in organised football remains very low (about 15%), reflecting persistent gender stereotypes and unequal access. Youth unemployment and rural-urban disparities further restrict opportunities for personal development and social inclusion. Although football is popular, public pitches are scarce, underfunded and often unsafe, especially for girls. These challenges create an urgent need for integrated initiatives that combine access to sport with life skills, gender equality and civic education – making the Smart Ball project both timely and highly relevant to the local context.

Project goals

  • Increase youth participation in safe and structured sport, with a strong focus on girls
  • Promote gender equality by challenging stereotypes and increasing girls’ participation in football
  • Enhance young people’s life skills and employability through education in leadership, teamwork and civic engagement
  • Improve access to quality sports infrastructure by renovating public football pitches for long-term community use

Project content

The 12-month football and education project comprises a variety of complementary activities:

  • Regular football training sessions delivered three times a week by certified local coaches, in structured groups and safe, inclusive training environments
  • Weekly educational workshops that use interactive methods to engage participants in topics such as teamwork, leadership, gender equality and active citizenship
  • Renovation of two public football pitches, equipped to ensure safe and consistent access for training and community use
  • Inclusive community tournaments and thematic events, including activities specifically encouraging girls’ participation, bringing together young people, their families and local partners and strengthening community engagement around the programme

Partner

Logo Smart Ball

Inclusive Sport for All

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Tokmok, Chuy region, Kyrgyzstan
Start date 03/01/2026
End date 02/28/2027
Cost of the project €33,810
Foundation funding €26,610
Project identifier 2025000796
Partners UPLIFT PF
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Healthy lifestyle - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Children with disabilities in rural Kyrgyzstan have very limited access to inclusive forms of sport and physical activity. Their non-disabled siblings also often lack opportunities for healthy development and social interaction, especially if their families are living on a low income. This leads to isolation and reduced mobility, and places children and families under emotional strain.

Project goals

To provide inclusive, community-based opportunities for children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan (and their families) to take part in sport, thus promoting good health, inclusion and equality of opportunity.

Project content

  • Weekly inclusive sport sessions held at Uplift Centre
  • Weekly sessions with local partners (NGOs, schools and clubs)
  • Group movement/exercise activities for the participants’ parents
  • Inclusive family sports days and tournaments
  • Volunteer-led training on how to make sport more inclusive
  • Free access to local clubs for participants’ siblings

Partner

Mighty Members

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Battambang, Cambodia
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €109,450
Foundation funding €15,000
Project identifier 2025000113
Partners SALT Academy
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

The level of poverty in Cambodia traps generation after generation of young people in a vicious cycle of neglect, trafficking and abuse – a cycle that the Mighty Members programme seeks to break through education, football and mentorship.

Project goals

Main goal: Empower young people to be change makers through sport

Other objectives:

  • Empower and build self-efficacy
  • Instil good characters and moral values
  • Promote good health, nutrition and physical activity
  • Educate and ensure future job opportunities

Project content

Mighty Members is an intensive full-time programme designed to empower young men and women in difficult situations as a result of poverty, domestic violence, abandonment, child labour or trafficking. A total of 60 carefully selected members – 30 male and 30 female Mighty Members aged 9 to 20 – are given a private education through to high-school graduation, including English classes, maths tutoring and computing, counselling, football matches (including international travel), meals and training in refereeing and coaching.

As the Mighty Members are raised up, they themselves take what they have learned out into their communities and multiply the effects through coaching, refereeing and teaching life skills to teams of their own.

Partner

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Play for Change: Building respectful communities through sport

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Gaborone and Kweneng districts, Botswana
Start date 01/05/2026
End date 06/30/2026
Cost of the project €136,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2025001231
Partners HOPE Worldwide Botswana
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Gender-based violence is a significant challenge in Botswana, experienced by 67% of women. Young teens lack positive role models and structured opportunities to develop healthy relationship skills. Moreover, traditional gender-based violence prevention focuses on the women and girls, without giving men or women adequate support to challenge harmful gender norms and develop respectful attitudes towards gender equality and children's rights.

Project goals

  • Reduce acceptance of gender-based violence by 30% among 1,100 teenagers aged 10 to 15 (660 boys, 440 girls)
  • Promote gender equality, healthy relationships and positive forms of masculinity and femininity, fostering respect, leadership and protection of children’s rights
  • Build sustainable community-based prevention programmes
  • Strengthen protection of children's rights through bystander intervention training for all participants
  • Create lasting inclusive community partnerships for comprehensive, sustainable youth development

Project content

  • Training 15 coaches to deliver a dual-track sports-based programme that is adapted to the local cultural context and combines sport with gender-specific curricula and child protection: Coaching Boys Into Men and Changing the Game for Girls
  • Weekly two-hour sessions by 15 trained coaches in 20 schools, 2 disability institutions and 10 community clubs for 1,100 teens aged 10 to 15, including children with disabilities
  • Baseline, midway and end-of-programme assessments with all 1,100 participants
  • Joint community showcases, stakeholder engagement events and community dialogue on changing norms and human rights, including children’s rights, women’s rights and disability rights

Partner

Football for Unity

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Dublin, Ireland
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 10/31/2026
Cost of the project €65,860
Foundation funding €30,000
Project identifier 2025002117
Partners Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

The northeastern inner city of Dublin suffers from high levels of deprivation and poverty, with high concentrations of lone parents (up to 80% in some areas), unemployment (approximately 50% of men and 40% of women, against a national average of 4%), low educational attainment (50% of people aged 15 and over have primary education only, against a national average of 9%) and high levels of crime and substance abuse. It is also the area in Ireland with the highest percentage of ethnic minorities.

Project goals

  • Increase mutual understanding between children and young people with different backgrounds and improve the integration of migrants and third-country nationals
  • Create safe spaces for children and young people to play football
  • Promote migrants’ involvement in sport and volunteering
  • Foster youth empowerment through football
  • Create more cohesion between young people, community groups, police and local authorities
  • Educate participants in diversity and inclusion, and against racism and xenophobia

Project content

Three months of football training nights and diversity and inclusion education leading up to a series of seven-a-side football tournaments in various age categories across the northeastern inner city of Dublin in June and July.

Partner

Developing therapeutic physical activity programmes in hospitals for children affected by cancer

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Paris and Toulouse, France
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 08/31/2026
Cost of the project €187,529
Foundation funding €20,000
Project identifier 2025000849
Partners CAMI Sport & Cancer
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle

Context

Cancer affects an average of 2,500 children for the first time each year in France. It is the second leading cause of death in children and adolescents. During treatment, children with cancer are often confined to tiny, sterile bedrooms. Being stuck in a hospital bed has many consequences, physical and psychological, including loss of muscle mass, physical deconditioning, loss of flexibility, reduced independence, sleep disturbance, fatigue, anxiety, stress, isolation and pain. Scientific studies carried out over many years have shown that regular sports participation can improve all these parameters.

Project goals

Support 180 to 190 children each year to:

  • Reduce the side effects of cancer treatment
  • Prevent the loss of muscle mass that results from being bed-ridden
  • Improve quality of life
  • Relieve the stress of being stuck in a traditional hospital environment
  • Combat social withdrawal and isolation through inclusion
  • Improve confidence and self-esteem

Project content

The project offers fun activities such as ball games, scooters and physical play for children in hospital. For teenagers and young adults, it provides physical activities adapted to the patient’s level of fatigue (gentle muscle strengthening, flexibility training). Practitioners visit the hospital departments for children, teenagers and young adults, offering one-to-one sessions lasting 45 minutes to an hour to any patients who would like them.

Partner

Kicking Boundaries

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Limpopo province, South Africa
Start date 01/15/2027
End date 01/15/2027
Cost of the project €85,000
Foundation funding €45,000
Project identifier 2025000428
Partners Uplift Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

South Africa continues to face alarming levels of gender-based violence and homicide. Girls in rural areas are particularly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and crime. Many are marginalised, lack information about their rights, have little exposure to positive role models and are rarely given safe spaces to express themselves, build confidence or seek support. Girls with disabilities face an additional layer of exclusion, as infrastructure, programmes and attitudes often ignore their needs.

Limpopo is one of the country’s poorest and most rural provinces. Deeply rooted gender norms mean that sport, especially football, is still treated as the preserve of men, while girls are expected to prioritise domestic work and caregiving, missing out on the physical, emotional and social benefits of playing sport.

Project goals

  • Provide regular, structured football activities in rural areas for at least 600 girls aged 11–18, including a minimum of 30% disabled girls
  • Use football as a platform to challenge harmful gender norms and promote gender equality, respect and non-violence in families, schools and communities
  • Reduce girls’ vulnerability to crime and gender-based violence
  • Strengthen leadership, communication, teamwork and resilience among girls
  • Build supportive environments for girls
  • Lay the foundations for the integration of football for girls into existing community structures

Project content

  • Regular mobile football clinics in rural communities, bringing structured football sessions directly to villages with little or no sports infrastructure. Sessions will focus on basic football skills, physical fitness, teamwork and enjoyment. Coaches will ensure that girls of different abilities, including those with disabilities, can participate safely and meaningfully.
  • Local and inter-community football tournaments and events to reinforce commitment, build pride and strengthen social networks among girls from different villages.
  • Gender equality and rights workshops that will deliver age-appropriate information on gender equality, girls’ rights, respect and non-discrimination, using football-based examples and discussions.
  • Anti-crime, safety and self-defence workshops, covering personal safety, basic self-defence techniques, how to recognise risky situations, and where to seek help in cases of violence or abuse. These sessions will be linked to football activities to reinforce messages about standing strong, supporting team-mates and reporting incidents.
  • Leadership development through sport: Football drills and small-sided games will incorporate leadership roles. Girls will practise communication, decision-making and problem-solving on the pitch, and then reflect on how to apply these skills in school, at home and in the community.
  • Inclusion of girls with disabilities: The project will intentionally recruit disabled girls and adapt activities where necessary so that they can participate fully. Coaches will receive basic training in inclusive coaching approaches, and awareness will be raised to reduce stigma and promote acceptance.
  • Community mobilisation and partnerships: The project team will collaborate with schools, local clubs, community-based organisations and the authorities to support recruitment, access to facilities and joint events. Regular meetings and feedback sessions will encourage local buy-in.

Partner

Girls Play for Change: Using sport as a transformative tool for protection, inclusion and empowerment

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Bossaso, Puntland State, Somalia
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €53,794
Foundation funding €43,000
Project identifier 2025000458
Partners Hawa Feminist Coalition
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Bossaso, a rapidly growing city in the state of Puntland, Somalia, hosts over 250,000 internally displaced people (IDP). They have fled conflict, humanitarian crises and the worsening effects of climate change. Most of them live in poor, overcrowded camps with limited access to services. Women and girls face some of the most severe and alarming forms of gender-based violence, including rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence, child abuse, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation or cutting.

Somali girls, particularly those from the marginalised IDP community in Bossaso, face significant barriers to participating in sport, which is still widely seen as the preserve of men. This exclusion deprives girls of the benefits that sport offers and reinforces harmful societal norms that silence their voices, limit their visibility and perpetuate gender inequality. The lack of inclusive, girl-centred programmes and safe, supportive opportunities further compounds their marginalisation, stifling their potential and curbing their development.

Project goals

  • Create safe and inclusive access to football for displaced and marginalised girls
  • Strengthen girls’ physical, emotional and mental well-being
  • Promote girls’ confidence, leadership, teamwork and active participation in sport
  • Train and empower 12 young women as community-based sport coaches and peer mentors and establish safe play areas
  • Raise awareness of girls’ rights, menstrual health, prevention of gender-based violence and inclusion of displaced and marginalised girls in sport

Project content

  • Safe, structured football and mentorship sessions for 300 displaced girls across six IDP settlements in Bossaso led by trained female coaches, integrating physical activity with psychosocial support, mental health promotion and rights-based education
  • Training for 12 young women from IDP communities to become football coaches and peer mentors, including modules on gender inclusion, children’s rights and safeguarding
  • Six inclusive, safe play areas within selected IDP camps
  • Four quarterly awareness-raising sessions, in person and online, each reaching 100 participants – including parents, elders and girls – to discuss gender-based violence, child protection, menstrual health and girls’ participation in sport and foster supportive community environments
  • Annual Girls Play for Change festival, bringing together over 150 girls, families and stakeholders to showcase and celebrate girls’ talents, build solidarity and advocate for inclusive sport and the protection of all girls

Partner

Football for children and teenagers from low-income communities

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Parque Ecodeportivo Santo Domingo Oeste, Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic
Start date 02/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €56,034
Foundation funding €28,017
Project identifier 2025002480
Partners Fundacíon Café con Leche
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

In low-income, structurally disadvantaged communities, the education system is often overstretched and many families lack the economic and social resources they would need to enrol their children in structured extracurricular activities. As a result, young people have limited access to healthy leisure and safe spaces that promote positive social interactions, personal growth and academic motivation, increasing their vulnerability to social exclusion and risky behaviour.

Football is a popular leisure activity in Santo Domingo but most youngsters play informally, rarely as part of a structured programme, limiting the educational potential. Projects that intentionally link sport with educational support and personal development are scarce.

 

Project goals

Create a safe, structured and supportive environment that:

  • promotes the holistic development and empowerment of children and teenagers growing up in vulnerable communities in Santo Domingo;
  • strengthens participants’ physical and mental well-being, fosters self-esteem and social inclusion, and supports academic success;
  • equips young people with essential life skills, positive role models and the motivation necessary to pursue educational and personal goals despite structural disadvantages.

Project content

  • 11 weekly 90-minute football training sessions for children and teenagers
  • 10 weekly one-hour educational sessions for children and teenagers
  • Friendly football matches and tournaments at least once a month
  • 10 educational trips and talks for children and teenagers
  • 12 one-hour workshops and talks with a psychologist offering psycho-emotional support

Partner

Play and Debate

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Aley and Beirut (Achrafieh district), Lebanon
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €35,572
Foundation funding €15,240
Project identifier 2025001131
Partners Baroudeurs de l'Espoir
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Lebanon is facing a serious multisectoral crisis, exacerbated by the current war and regional conflicts, which are having a profound effect on young people. Persistent instability, electricity and fuel shortages and the breakdown of essential services are restricting children’s access to education, healthcare and protection. War also increases the risk of domestic violence, child labour, family separation and psychosocial distress.

Project goals

Use sport to support the psychosocial development of children and teenagers in Lebanon, offering them opportunities to relax in a safe environment, teaching them about peace and social harmony, and enabling them to grow, exercise, excel and develop team spirit.

Project content

Two-hour socio-educational sports sessions, offering children and teenagers a precious opportunity to move, play, learn and develop a sense of teamwork.

The first hour is divided into three 20-minute sections in which the children learn a new game, receive a presentation on a particular topic (e.g. conflict management or peace) and then discuss the topic and how to apply it to their everyday lives. A nutritious snack is provided – a valuable support for families experiencing financial hardship – before the second half of the session, which comprises a mini sports tournament.

 

Partner

Play for Protection: Child-centred sport for safety and belonging

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €140,232
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2025001001
Partners ActionAid Switzerland
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Approximately 1,140,000 Rohingya live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char, half of them children and teenagers with limited protection and access to safe play. Girls and disabled children in particular are marginalised as a result of patriarchal norms, stigma and safety concerns. Inclusive, structured sports are needed to foster well-being, social inclusion and development – in a safe, dignified environment.

Project goals

  • Psychosocial well-being: Improve the mental health and resilience of 300 Rohingya aged 13 to 24
  • Child protection: Reduce children and teenagers’ vulnerability to exploitation and abuse by integrating sports clubs into existing community-based protection frameworks
  • Gender equality and inclusion: Challenge social stigma and patriarchal norms by ensuring equitable participation for girls (35% target) and disabled children (5% target) in all sports activities
  • Social cohesion: Build a sense of belonging and community by organising inclusive sports events that bring young people, their parents and community leaders together across the refugee camps
  • Youth empowerment and leadership: Train young refugees to be coaches and mentors, equipping them with life skills and vocational leadership experience

Project content

Regular access to inclusive, structured physical activity and safe recreational spaces in the Camp 4 Extension, Camp 26 and Nayapara refugee settlements, with a focus on girls, disabled children and at-risk adolescents, encouraging them to participate in sports activities while promoting social cohesion, life skills and protection.

  • Participant engagement and community consultation: engaging young people, their families and their communities to ensure inclusion and ownership of project activities
  • Structured sports and life-skills sessions: providing safe and inclusive opportunities for children and young adults to participate in sports activities and develop life skills
  • Inclusive sports clubs: establishing and supporting sports clubs that promote gender equality, inclusion and community participation
  • Capacity building for coaches: training young refugees and community members to deliver inclusive and safe sports activities
  • Facility management: ensuring sports facilities are accessible, safe and properly maintained
  • Psychosocial support: incorporation of play-based psychosocial support to strengthen participants’ well-being and resilience
  • Monitoring, evaluation and reporting: tracking project progress and documenting outcomes to ensure accountability and support learning

Partner