Fostering Youth Leadership

Location and general information

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

Context

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

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

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

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

Project goals

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

Project content

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

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

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

Partner

Provision of psychosocial support to vulnerable children, adolescents and parents through sport (PORUCH)

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Poltaa and Sumska oblasts, Ukraine
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €1,019,850
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 200230654
Partners United Around Football
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Since the start of full-scale war in February 2022, the children of Ukraine have experienced violence, trauma, loss, destruction and displacement, not to mention the stress of constant air raids and shelling. The living conditions, everyday news and general situation take a toll on their mental and physical health. According to official sources, by the morning of 29 November 2023, 511 children had been killed and more than 1,148 physically injured.

Recovery through sport is the ethos of PORUCH, a joint initiative by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and UNICEF Ukraine to use sport, in particular football, to provide psychosocial support to children, teenagers and families affected by the war. They have teamed up with the Ukrainian Association of Football, foundation partner United Around Football, and Football Development in Ukraine, another charitable foundation.

Physical education teachers (sports coaches), psychologists and healthy lifestyle coaches (medical volunteers) engage participants in a form of play that will hopefully lead to regular physical activity and help them develop a range of skills and values in a positive, holistic way. This approach is considered effective in supporting psychological recovery after a traumatic experience and overcoming fears.

A similar project was implemented in 15 oblasts between March 2022 and May 2023, reaching 90,417  vulnerable children and 34,663 parents and guardians (indirect beneficiaries).

Project goals

General

  • Provide group psychological support to vulnerable children and teenagers through sport

Specific

  • Develop the methodology and materials for targeted psychological support through sport
  • Deliver group psychological sessions to 25,000 vulnerable children and teenagers in 2 oblasts (Poltava and Sumy) in central and northeastern Ukraine
  • Boost the capacity of professionals to provide targeted psychological support

 

Project content

Sports grounds will be divided into three zones or stations, where children will take turns playing mobile games with a football, working with a psychologist, and learning from medical volunteers about healthy lifestyles and what to do in case of injury.

  • Zone 1 – Sports coach
  • Zone 2 – Psychologist
  • Zone 3 – Medical volunteer

Approximately 30 children affected by war will participate in each session, in three groups of ten. Each group must visit each station twice.

Partner

TEAM Project

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Scotland
Start date 04/01/2024
End date 03/31/2025
Cost of the project €139,620
Foundation funding €73,782
Project identifier 20230913
Partners Big Hearts Community Trust
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Vulnerable children affected by trauma, poverty, cultural barriers and mental health challenges are at particular risk of struggling with the transition from primary to secondary school. The need for increased support has been clearly evidenced in communities in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Paisley, Motherwell and Greenock. Football can be used to improve the resilience and social connectedness of children at this critical life stage.

Project goals

  • Children aged 10 to 12 benefit from: new friendships and social connections, better connections within the community, better physical health and increased confidence and well-being
  • 250 children intensively supported each year
  • More than 80% of those children see improvements in their confidence and overall well-being, and enjoy better relationships with their parents and guardians.
  • Model and lessons learned can be shared with and rolled out in other communities around Scotland in the medium to long-term

Project content

The project comprises weekly football sessions alongside confidence and resilience-building activities. Healthy snacks will also be served.

It will target marginalised children living with multiple disadvantages, including poverty, trauma, isolation and having English as a second language – young people who often miss out on positive experiences and opportunities – helping them to feel less excluded, better integrated in their communities and more confident about the transition from primary to secondary school.

Partner

Future Ball – Football and Education for Sustainable Development

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Germany
Start date 03/01/2023
End date 09/30/2024
Cost of the project €125,508
Foundation funding €52,000
Project identifier 20230801
Partners Spirit of Football e.V.
Categories Access to Sport - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Spirit of Football takes young people’s concerns about climate change seriously by connecting football to environmental concerns. Especially within the context of schools, clubs, community centres and stadiums, this NGO tries to make the necessary changes with fun and interactive methods to strengthen people’s motivation and make it clear that it is more effective to act, preferably as a team, than to be overwhelmed by seemingly unsolvable problems.

Project goals

Spirit of Football aims to call young people’s attention to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through workshops in schools and stadiums with interactive, fun and inspiring methods, especially focusing on SDGs 5, 12,13 and 17. This means that everyone should have equal chances in sport and elsewhere, responsible consumption and production, and climate action should be practised in everyday life. It is also important to show that change is only possible through strong, committed and creative partnerships.

Project content

  • 2 train the trainer sessions for teachers and trainers, to provide them with methods combining football and education for sustainability
  • 24 workshop days in schools and stadium education centres on sustainability and sport, including team-building methods, role-play, fair play football and communal murals at two sites
  • A 30-day Future Ball Tour through Germany by train and bicycle during EURO 2024, holding mini-workshops, collecting signatures for a more climate-neutral lifestyle, and attracting media attention on football and education for sustainability.

Partner

Kick for Hope

Location and general information

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

Context

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

Project goals

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

Project content

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

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

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

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

Partners

Football for All

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Lebanon
Start date 03/01/2023
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €95,000
Foundation funding €63,500
Project identifier 2023001222
Partners Tawazon
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Lebanon has been hit by a succession of economic, health, social and political crises since October 2019, exacerbated by the huge explosion at a Beirut port in August 2020. Football for All aims to help Lebanese children affected by this crisis by providing them with access to football training centres.

 

Project goals

  • Create safe spaces where young people can play football
  • Give disadvantaged children access to structured football training sessions 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 social integration of the country’s young people

Project content

Former members of the Lebanese national team, qualified as coaches, deliver three training sessions each week at five training centres across the country, each in a different region. A coordinator liaises and organises matches between the centres.

Partners

Sustainable future for all

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Hungary, Budapest, Abaújkér and Márokpapi
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €64,840
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20230630
Partners Oltalom Sport Association
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Access to quality services is the privilege of the few. Traditional institutions struggle to provide services they are originally bound to. With the arrival of large numbers of refugees, they now need to prioritise, increasing the tension between groups who are in line for the limited social support. These circumstances make the work of NGOs more essential, as they try to replace or supplement the efforts of such institutions to foster the social and academic inclusion of athletes.

Project goals

  • Increased physical and mental well-being
  • Strengthen and develop transferable skills
  • Empower of athletes
  • Support the social inclusion of marginalized and at-risk groups

Project content

Oltalom aims to continue its core activities, which focus on strengthening and developing the transferable skills of athletes, who, due to various external reasons, are not thriving in the traditional academic environment. By using the power of football, Oltalom aims to engage children and teenagers in activities, which would also support their development and empowerment. The various on and off the pitch programmes include sport and social activities (e.g. football training, national and international tournaments, employability programmes, scholarship programmes, activities for female athletes) and support the inclusion of marginalised and at-risk groups, including Roma people, refugees and third country nationals arriving from conflict zones.

Partner

Inclusive Sport and Life Skills

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kenya, Nairobi
Start date 02/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €82,474
Foundation funding €10,886
Project identifier 20231046
Partners Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Mathare slum is one of the poorest and most densely populated slums in Africa, where drugs and crime are ever-present. A lack of adequate sports facilities and organised grassroots sport for children and teenagers in informal settlements means that many turn to crime, substance abuse and all kinds of vices. There has been an increase in gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies and new HIV infections owing to poverty and a lack of knowledge and information.

Project goals

  • Promote behaviour change among children, teenagers and women, to help reduce the issues affecting youth
  • Create a social support structure for marginalised groups, including the urban refugees, and facilitate acceptance in their host communities to promote peaceful coexistence
  • Mainstream gender in sport and address issues affecting young women and girls in sport
  • Create a safe space for marginalised groups including urban refugees

Project content

  • Sports for All football league: We will run an inclusive football league in the community that we serve, where everyone will be allowed to participate, irrespective of their social economic status, religion, education background, gender, sexual orientation and culture.
  • Capacity-building: We will enhance the skills of our community coaches, teenagers and children through capacity development training.
  • Life skills education: We will provide training in life skills for children, teenagers and women living in informal settlements in Nairobi.
  • Coordinated meetings: We will hold monthly meetings with the stakeholders to check on project progress.
  • Community outreach: We will conduct community outreach to raise awareness of issues affecting their communities, g. sexual reproductive health, substance abuse, etc.
  • Monitoring and evaluation: We will evaluate the progress of project activities every three months.

Partner

Génération Sportive – The Athletic Generation

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Morocco
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €200,534
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20231154
Partners Tibu Maroc
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

In the target regions of the Génération Sportive project, the lack of adequate sports facilities and physical activity opportunities for children is a major issue. This not only affects their physical health but also their social and cognitive development.

Project goals

  • Encourage 12,000 children to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle through fun and educational sports activities
  • Develop children's motor, cognitive and social skills
  • Raise awareness among children about the importance of a balanced and healthy lifestyle
  • Foster the overall well-being of children, taking account of their physical and mental health
  • Ensure that all children take part in regular physical activity

Project content

The project addresses the issues by providing schools with sports resources (people and equipment) and raising awareness of the importance of sport for children's growth and well-being. This initiative is essential for promoting a healthy and active lifestyle from a young age in these regions.

  • Regular fun sports sessions to develop motor skills
  • Interactive workshops on healthy lifestyle habits, including a balanced diet, personal hygiene and sufficient sleep
  • Educational activities focused on the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals to inspire engagement with the environment and society
  • Teacher training on running sports activities independently and promoting a healthy lifestyle

Partner

Enhancing left-behind children’s social resilience through sports

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Yunnan Province, China
Start date 03/01/2024
End date 03/31/2025
Cost of the project €100,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20230441
Partners Plan International Hong Kong
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Nearly 70% of middle school students in Jinping County, Yunnan Province, China are classified as ‘left-behind children’. These children are disproportionately vulnerable to emotional disturbances, psychological distress and other related challenges that have an impact on their physical and mental well-being and their academic performance. Girls are particularly disadvantaged thanks to ingrained gender stereotypes.

Project goals

The main objectives of this project are to help middle school students to develop their social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, to challenge gender stereotypes in sports and to bring about transformative change among girls and boys as well as their families, schools and communities.

Project content

To achieve the objectives, the following activities are planned in ten schools:

  • Conduct capacity-building training with SEL modules for school sports teachers
  • Train peer educators to build SEL skills through sports activities
  • Help and guide peer educators to organise club-based sports activities for school students with a focus on building SEL skills
  • Organise events raising awareness of gender issues among teachers, students and parents
  • Conduct girls’ football tournaments among schools, with SEL integration

Partner

Football for All

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Vietnam
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €59,165
Foundation funding €48,306
Project identifier 20230184
Partners Football Association of Norway/Football for All in Vietnam (NFF/FFAV)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Men and boys enjoy a sociocultural advantage among many of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities, while girls – expected to grow up to be wives and mothers – are often deprived of education, forced into early marriage and given few opportunities. Despite national laws and international conventions prohibiting it, child marriage remains a widespread phenomenon in Vietnam, particularly in rural areas. Although the practice is in decline, it was estimated as recently as 2019 that 14% of women in the country had been married before their 18th birthday.

Moreover, boys benefit from a cultural preference for males rooted in customary laws and practices, such as the belief that only men can perform ancestral rites. Children see themselves and their roles and relationships through the lens of socially constructed gender norms, which directly affects their own attitudes and behaviour.

In the Quảng Tri and Cao Bằng provinces, football is perceived as being only for boys, which is a form of gender discrimination that excludes girls and limits their opportunities.

Project goals

To raise awareness of gender rights, foster equitable practices among ethnic minority groups, empower women and girls, and equip them with leadership and life skills by supporting their equal participation in a football and life skills programme.

Project content

  • Set up 15 grassroots football clubs in Quảng Tri and 15 in Cao Bằng, replicating the FFAV model developed in Hà Giang. FFAV uses football to challenge stereotypes, promote gender equality and provide all children with an enabling environment by developing school-based clubs where equal participation of girls and boys is mandatory. Training sessions are held once or twice a week and, in parallel, girls are mentored by Women Win in Goal facilitators who teach them about economic empowerment, leadership, gender rights and reproductive health. This life skills programme helps to build girls’ self-esteem and gives them positive role models and trusted women to turn to for support.
    • Train teachers, volunteers, parents and other interested locals in coaching and refereeing, as well as teaching them how to attract participants and make their clubs fun, safe and inclusive. The training takes place over four days and is delivered by the Vietnam Football Federation using its grassroots coaching manual.
    • Train female teachers as Women Win in Goal facilitators in a three-day course delivered by FFAV’s key facilitators.
  • Continue to provide technical support and football equipment to the 30 football clubs in Hà Giang province.
  • Organise 30 Fun Football Festivals where both boys and girls can play football matches as well as games teaching life skills that they might have not experienced before. These festivals are also an opportunity to promote the clubs, attract supporters and volunteers and introduce the life skills campaign to more people.
  • Hold two internal evaluation and planning workshops for all clubs using a participatory approach, whereby coaches and Women Win in Goal facilitators evaluate their club’s activities, share experiences and learn best practices. The outcomes will be documented in a final report used for advocacy and to inform the activity plan for the coming years.

Partner

Inclusive football based education for disabled children

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Indonesia, Jakarta
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €30,000
Foundation funding €20,000
Project identifier 20230282
Partners ASA Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Indonesia is now one of the world’s largest plastic waste producers, producing over 3.2 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. The country also struggles with high levels of poverty, poor health and education, inadequate sanitation and nutrition, and discrimination against women, girls and those with disabilities. These nationwide issues affect both rural and urban populations, including the 30.5 million people living in the capital city of Jakarta.

Disabled children face numerous barriers to education and consequently are less likely than their peers to start and complete school. Inclusive sport can improve their well-being and self-esteem and can transform how communities view disabled people.

Football is Indonesia’s most popular sport – played by children and adults alike – and is gaining popularity among women and girls.

Project goals

  • Improve the emotional, psychological and social well-being of beneficiaries
  • Develop a cohesive society that fights exclusion and promotes upward mobility
  • Enhance inclusive education through awareness and skills training in health, life skills, gender equality and the circular economy
  • Encourage female participation (at least 50%) to promote female empowerment and equal access to opportunities, resources, decision-making and autonomy
  • Improve access to education and learning outcomes for disabled children through inclusive sports and education development activities
  • Achieve a cleaner, greener society by encouraging local government ministries and schools to adopt the programme’s circular economy and recycling management processes

Project content

15 male and 15 female teachers from schools for disabled children, mainly from particularly disadvantaged areas of the capital, will be selected to attend a two-day training of trainers workshop at a carefully selected special needs school in Jakarta. They will be introduced to a collaboratively designed football-based curriculum, available in both Bahasa Indonesia and English, covering life skills development and gender equality, health and well-being, the circular economy, and waste management development. They will also learn to lead simple activities geared towards long-term sustainability, such as how to recycle plastic materials to produce sports training equipment.

The teachers will then return to their schools to lead weekly extracurricular training sessions for disabled boys and girls. The teachers will be supported, mentored, monitored and evaluated by master trainers on a weekly basis and will attend a refresher training day after six months.

Partner

Young Coach Education Ecuador

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Ecuador, Ibarra
Start date 11/01/2023
End date 03/24/2024
Cost of the project €198,341
Foundation funding €52,610
Project identifier 20230885
Partners Scort Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Once a safe haven in South America, the situation in Ecuador has visibly worsened over the past few years, with widespread insecurity and a vast increase in violence across the country, which nonetheless continues to host numerous refugees and migrants from Colombia and Venezuela. Almost 1 million people are exposed to violence, poverty and displacement. Children’s mental and physical well-being are particularly affected, with a heightened risk of discrimination, exploitation and abuse. Inclusive and safe spaces where children can play, learn, de-stress and simply be children are essential. Football in particular has proven to be an important means of restoring social connections, promoting learning and supporting psychosocial well-being.

For this reason, the Scort Foundation and its partner the Football Club Social Alliance (FCSA) have teamed up with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and local organisation Fundación de las Americas para el Desarrollo (Foundation of the Americas for Development, FUDELA) to train 45 committed young adults to become grassroots football coaches and community leaders. The Young Coaches not only learn how to provide safe and structured sports activities for children in their communities, but also how to use football to promote resilience and foster inclusion.

Project goals

  • Educate 45 young adults to become role models and coaches for children in vulnerable and/or conflict-prone communities
  • Promote access to quality, fun, educational activities for over 5,000 girls and boys from refugee and host communities
  • Promote social cohesion through sport
  • Promote access to sport for girls and disabled children
  • Strengthen the network of Young Coaches (and other organisations) within Ecuador using sport for protection

Project content

The Young Coach Education project empowers committed young coaches in their roles as proactive community leaders, on and off the pitch.

During their training, the Young Coaches learn how to use football to create a safe environment for children, promoting health, inclusion, social cohesion and protection. The project combines football and educational games to improve children’s life skills as well as their physical and mental well-being. It aims to be as inclusive as possible, including disability-specific educational content. This can help break down barriers and promote the inclusion of disabled children in the regular activities run by the Young Coaches.

The training consists of three modules: two five-day face-to-face modules in Ecuador, and one online. Interactive and illustrative learning is at the heart of the programme. During the on-site modules, a strong focus is placed on practical learning, in order to make optimal use of the FCSA instructors’ expertise and provide the Young Coaches with their first tools. While the instructors initially show solutions, they increasingly demand creative problem-solving from the Young Coaches, who come up with strategies in groups. The lessons are immediately put into practice at two festivals held during each on-site module for children from the local community. Additional workshops are delivered by experts on topics such as child protection and safeguarding, first aid, and the role of sport in strengthening resilience and mental well-being.

Between the two on-site modules, the Young Coaches are expected to apply what they have learned in their communities and independently complete the additional online module. Regular live webinars provide a space for mutual support and a deeper understanding of the content.

Partner

Football, Rock and Water

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Peru
Start date 02/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €86,648
Foundation funding €62,559
Project identifier 20231029
Partners NGO Mama Alice
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Since 2005, the NGO Mama Alice has been working in Ayacucho, Peru, to improve the lives of children affected by underdevelopment, isolation and poverty. During Peru's internal conflict in the 1980s and 90s, Ayacucho’s rural population suffered extreme violence. Many fled their homes, settling in the city’s outskirts, where they lack basic facilities such as water, sanitation and electricity, which contributes to an increase in infectious diseases.

Unemployment has led to poverty, malnutrition, family break-up, domestic violence and child abandonment. The population remains deeply scarred by the violent conflict, and lives in a culture of fear and distrust. The indigenous population are particularly affected by poor access to healthcare, high infant mortality rates and a low life expectancy.

Facts about Ayacucho:

  • 39.4% of the population live in poverty, 7.8% in extreme poverty
  • 17.3% of children suffer from malnutrition, and 45% of children under three are anaemic
  • 13.4 % of the population is illiterate and only 24.1% have completed primary school
  • 64% of women have been victims of sexual violence, and in 33% of cases the attacker was a family member

 

Project goals

Mama Alice’s mission is to forever change Peruvian communities from the inside out, with a focus on educational and psychological support. The Football, Rock and Water project aims to motivate children to be more active and to improve their football skills, while connecting with others and improving their self-esteem, social skills, assertiveness and leadership skills.

The goal is for at least 80% of the 1,120 participating children to get fitter, gain a more positive self-image, improve their resilience and adaptability, learn to collaborate and lead, and feel valued and nurtured, and at least 70% to attend regularly and learn the rules of football. The aim is for 90% of the participating teachers to observe positive physical and psychosocial development in their pupils.

Project content

Mama Alice has been offering Rock and Water activities alongside football training, including intensive camps, to primary and secondary school children in Ayacucho since 2021.

The Rock and Water programme teaches children to face life’s challenges with a ‘rock’ (strong and resilient) and ‘water’ (flexible and adaptable) attitude.

In addition to constructing a football pitch, Mama Alice will provide two-month-long football and psychosocial training to 32 groups (35 children per group) of children aged 7 to 12. The project will conclude with the groups coming together for final activities and football matches between schools. All children receive participation certificates and a Rock and Water bracelet, and help to evaluate the activities.

Partner

Learn to be Healthy

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Romania, Bucharest
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €70,000
Foundation funding €70,000
Project identifier 20230507
Partners United Way Romania
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

In Romania, 1 in 4 children has weight problems. That is why it is imperative to continue the UEFA Foundation project and increase its reach by adding 1 new community, 850 disadvantaged children and 100 parents, reducing part of costs by reusing previously purchased equipment.

By 2030, almost 500,000 children aged 5-19 will suffer from obesity, because of unhealthy diets and reduced sport activity (estimated by The World Obesity Federation), in the absence of prevention and treatment measures.

Project goals

To promote and support a healthy lifestyle for children in three disadvantaged communities, one urban and two in rural areas of Bucharest:

  • Inform, educate about the importance of a balanced nutrition, sports and anti-bullying
  • Promote the importance of sport by practicing soccer, basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis
  • Ensure healthy snack during activities
  • Organize Sports Days, sports events and info sessions on the importance of nutrition, sports for a healthy life and anti-bullying

Project content

Sports and education sessions on the importance of healthy life to foster improved long-term wellbeing for children and parents from disadvantaged communities.

Parents from target group are not even aware of their children's weight and health problems. More than this children often witness inappropriate behaviours of adults, verbal aggression and often physical. Involving them in project activities, we teach them what fair-play means and to develop positive behaviours with parents, teachers.

Partner

Mighty Members

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Cambodia, Battambang
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 01/01/2025
Cost of the project €61,400
Foundation funding €15,000
Project identifier 20220444
Partners SALT Academy
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Generation after generation of young people in Cambodia experience neglect, trafficking and abuse as a result of poverty.

Mighty Members sets out to break this cycle through education, football and mentoring, with 40 carefully selected young adults cascading the programme in their communities and creating a positive cycle that impacts thousands of people a week.

Project goals

Empower young people to be change makers through sport

  • Build self-efficacy
  • Promote good health, nutrition and physical activity
  • Educate and create future job opportunities
  • Instil character strengths and moral values

Project content

Mighty Members is a full-time programme designed to empower young men and women who have experienced poverty, domestic violence, abandonment, child labour and trafficking. We have 40 members – 20 male and 20 female – between the ages 13 and 20. The programme uses education, mentoring and football training to give the 40 Mighty Members real-world, marketable skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

What makes the programme special is that, as the Mighty Members rise up, they themselves take what they have learned out into their communities, coaching, mentoring and teaching life skills to others.

Partner