Action and Fun!

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Minsk and Mogilev regions, Belarus
Start date 06/01/2022
End date 04/30/2023
Cost of the project €169,050,00
Foundation funding €152,000,00
Project identifier 20210627
Partners Caritas Oberösterreich
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

In addition to the difficult political situation, people in Belarus are severely affected by economic hardships and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to official data and research by UNICEF Belarus, about 30,000 children live in out-of-home care, 30% of whom in state-run boarding houses, mainly for reasons of disability (46 %). State-run institutions lack the funds to make their premises accessible, invest in the surroundings or provide occupational training. Two-thirds of families with three or more children live below the poverty line, most in rural areas. More than one million people live in areas still affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe.

Project content

The aim is to improve the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable children in Belarus by means of inclusive activities (contribution to SDG 3: improved well-being; UNCRC: right to play and exercise; UNCRPD: right to inclusion).

Partly, activities will take place in the Caritas Centre St Lucas in Borovlyany (near Minsk), a centre for children suffering from cancer and their caregivers, children’s holiday recreational activities, activities for children with disabilities and others living in the surrounding area. Other activities will be held in state-run schools, boarding houses, foster families and in parishes in the Minsk and Mogilev regions.

Objectives

Objective 1: 420 youngsters: (children suffering from cancer, children of all abilities and children of vulnerable families staying in the Caritas Centre St Lucas) can use a new, inclusive playground

Objective 2: 8,200 vulnerable children are encouraged to get more exercise during Caritas action days (Action and Fun Bus) and enjoy a more inclusive environment in state institutions

Objective 3: 40 teachers and caregivers learn how to add exercise to the everyday lives of children of all abilities

Project activities

Activity Cluster 1: Build the inclusive playground; organise special activities for children living in the surrounding area during weekends and holidays

Activity Cluster 2.1: Purchase the bus and inclusive equipment; organise ‘activity days’ in parishes and state-run boarding houses; train volunteers

Activity Cluster 2.2: Launch a call for tender for inclusive micro-projects for schools

Activity Cluster 3: Organise two train-the-trainer sessions about the programme, to develop and distribute a manual

Expected results

Result 1: An inclusive playground in the Caritas-Centre St Lucas near Minsk will be used by 420 children living with cancer and other vulnerable children

Result 2.1: 3,200 vulnerable children will be encouraged to play and to get exercise during activity days

Result 2.2: State-run institutions will provide a more inclusive environment through a micro-project tender

Result 3: 40 teachers or school staff are taught how to run the programme in their everyday work and share their knowledge with parents and colleagues

Partner

Football for Everyone

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Chile; Puerto Williams, Visviri and Easter Island
Start date 05/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €19,133
Foundation funding €19,133
Project identifier 20211182
Partners Fundación Ganamos Todos
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Ganamos Todos is an organisation that was born in 2011, which seeks to intervene in communities through the practice of physical activity. In 8 years, they impacted almost 200,000 young people in more than 200 communities in the country. They work to reach all of Chile.

Convinced that sport unites, breaks down barriers and improves opportunities for children and young people, Ganamos Todos develop key skills for better social integration for boys and girls in isolated regions of Chile: Visviri (in the Andes), Easter Island (in the Pacific), Puerto Williams (last city before Antarctica).

Project content

This project involves travelling to Visviri, Easter Island and Puerto Williams to give 50 boys and 50 girls new adidas football boots and donate 100 adidas balls to each location. The team coordinated with the municipal sports entity of each of these locations in advance to ensure the shoes were the correct sizes. We will be accompanied by a former football player who participated in the men’s or women’s FIFA World Cup or played for a European league team. Their presence will motivate the community. This person will deliver a talk to the community, highlighting the positive values, they have learned thanks to football, and how they contribute to building a better society. Then, with all the boys and girls present, we will celebrate a football festival during the day, so that the children can use their gifts, and football is celebrated as an opportunity for growth.

 

Objectives

We intend to bring football closer to communities that, for geographical reasons, are isolated. It is not easy to obtain the basic minimal equipment to play football when you live in the Andes mountains, on an island in the Pacific Ocean or at the end of the world. We hope that receiving quality equipment and meeting a football icon, will result in a passion for football among these boys and girls.

Project activities

Gifts

We get in touch with each municipality, to present the project to the local sports authorities. They then give us the shoe sizes of the children who are to receive football boots.

With this information, we will buy the 300 pairs of shoes and the 300 footballs from adidas.

We put the gifts into boxes, to ship them to the different locations.

Icon

We use our strong network in the Chilean football world to decide which former player can generate the greatest reaction from the community. It might be best to take different former players to each location. Ultimately what is important is the bond that the player can create with the children in the various locations.

Before we travel, we get together with the icon, in order to hear the positive values that they have learned from football and how they apply them to everyday life. This information will be used to create a PowerPoint presentation that will be used during the visits.

Two members of Fundación Ganamos Todos and the football icon will travel to the community.

Festival

With the help of the local authorities, we organise a football festival so the children can enjoy the gifts that they have received straight away. The focus will be on participation and the happiness and opportunities created by practising football.

Expected results

Bring football and joy to isolated communities with a large indigenous population.

Partner

Health 360: football for a protected community

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Lusaka, Zambia
Start date 01/31/2022
End date 07/31/2023
Cost of the project €136,300
Foundation funding €63,300
Project identifier 20210991
Partners Red Deporte, City of Hope
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Red Deporte has been working in Zambia since 1999, in schools and sports spaces, as they are the meeting points for children and teenagers. Health 360 makes use of the popularity of football as a platform to promote health among the most vulnerable population in Zambia, one of the countries with the worst health and inequality indices in Africa. For example, the HIV/AIDS infection rate among women is 16%, double that among men (UNAIDS, 2019). The target group for this project is children and teenagers, with a special focus on empowering young women. The project also promotes support actions in Spain, such as recruiting health volunteers and educators, and generating support for sustainability among football entities.

Project content

Health 360 aims to open a community sports centre that promotes and coordinates the football for health programme among 16 community schools in Lusaka and Mansa. Health promotion is viewed in three dimensions, each with its corresponding curriculum:

  1. Basic hygiene and prevention of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and malaria
  2. Prevention of abuse of substances such as alcohol and drugs
  3. Life skills: raise awareness of the importance of good health for school success and future working life

Objectives

Overall goal: Guarantee the right to health of children and young teenagers in vulnerable situations

Specific objective: Create a football programme to promote community health that empowers, provides healthcare, reduces the risk of disease and prevents harmful habits in 4,500 children and young people.

Project activities

  • Construction of the sports centre
  • In Zambia, training of monitors and trainers; in Spain, recruiting and training volunteer health personnel to work in Zambia
  • Weekly programme of sport and educational activities and regular festivals; coordination with 16 educational centres in the network.
  • Healthcare in community health centres and medical check-ups in schools
  • Dissemination of results of football for development among public-private entities

Expected results

  • Strengthened self-efficacy against infectious diseases such as COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and malaria, basic hygiene and prevention of substance abuse
  • Consolidated network of 30 educator-coaches and 24 school teachers who work in educational and youth centres in Lusaka and Mansa with football as a health promotion tool
  • Increased coordination, participation, content and organisation of the football programme for community health in the 16 educational centres
  • Improved health care for 800 children and young people in four community health centres

Partner

Cruyff Court Velsen, Netherlands

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Velsen, Pays-Bas
Start date 02/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €276,812
Foundation funding €199,312
Project identifier 202110435
Partners Cruyff Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Velsen-Noord is a community of just over 5,000 people, 30% of whom are under the age of 25. About 40% of the community are of non-Dutch heritage and the overall educational level is low. Velsen-Noord is also one of the poorest and most vulnerable in the region. Boredom causes antisocial behaviour and there has been a rise in crime over the past three years amid growing polarisation. There are few safe spaces to play sport.

Project content

A Cruyff Court will be built as a safe space for young people to play sports.

Objectives

  • Building a safe place for youngsters to come together and play sports, in particular football
  • Creating a group of local stakeholders that use sport as a way to help local youngsters develop, increasing the impact that sport has on them
  • Educate local coaches with the philosophy and vision of the Cruyff Foundation
  • Engage and develop young people in the community through organised activities

Project activities

  • Create a social agreement with local stakeholders, defining goals, allocating tasks and committing stakeholders to the project for the long term, over a ten-year period
  • Stichting SportSupport Kennemerland will organise various activities on the pitch per week for 6–12 year-olds .Welzijn Velsen will organise activities and programmes for boys and girls 13–23 years old
  • Heroes of the Cruyff Courts act as role models and organise at least one major event per year, teaching the youngsters all the skills they need
  • Train two local coaches

Expected results

  • Over 300 active children a week take part in sports and cultural activities on the court
  • 2 new Cruyff Foundation coaches in the municipality who will run projects in their neighbourhood and on the Cruyff Court
  • Increase liveability through better sports facilities in the community
  • Develop youngsters’ personal and sports skills through sports programmes
  • Increase the number of children that play sports and increase the amount of sport they play
  • Reduce polarisation by connecting youth from different cultural backgrounds

Partner

Clarkston Garden FC

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Clarkston, USA
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €59,435
Foundation funding €29,155
Project identifier 20210409
Partners Soccer in the Streets
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Since the mid-1990s, the American town of Clarkston in Georgia has been the resettlement point for thousands of displaced persons from around the world, earning it the title of the ‘Ellis Island of the South’. Soccer in the Streets uses football as a common language to help displaced youngsters integrate into society.

Clarkston’s Garden FC project builds on this common language and helps youth – especially girls – become young leaders who can contribute to a healthy and equitable community.

Project content

The Garden FC project uses community gardens located at the football pitch as a hub for activities that enable young people to establish a relationship between sport, nutrition, food security and community well-being. Football training includes on-field leadership activities. After training, youngsters and their families cultivate the gardens together and are able to enjoy the food they harvest. A differentiated experience for girls addresses specific challenges they face both on and off the field.

Objectives

  • Give displaced youngsters access to football
  • Educate players on the link between nutrition, physical activity and well-being
  • Teach players how to grow their own food
  • Build youth leadership capacity
  • Create differentiated experience for girls

Project activities

  • Football training sessions
  • In-practice leadership sessions with a focus on the girls
  • Nutrition workshops
  • Gardening training
  • Community gardening events

Expected results

  • 150 players take part in football sessions
  • 30% of players complete the nutrition and well-being curriculum
  • 100% of girls receive leadership sessions
  • 35% of players show improvement in self-management and relationship skills

Partner

Growing up with dignity

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Madagascar
Start date 02/01/2022
End date 06/30/2023
Cost of the project €189,354
Foundation funding €75,742
Project identifier 210951
Partners Grandir Dignement
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

In Madagascar, the detention conditions of the approximately 950 incarcerated children are extremely precarious and detrimental to their proper development. Their basic needs (food, health and hygiene) are not even minimally met. Children are regularly victims of serious violence from prison officers, who are often unaware that children have rights. Finally, there is virtually no preparation for their socio-educational reintegration.

Project content

The project will run for 18 months and support 400 children (girls and boys) in six jails and 100 children living in two Grandir Dignement post-incarceration centres or supported by social workers. The aim is to provide educational, sports, literacy and occupational training activities, to improve their detention conditions and socio-educational integration so that they can live independent lives when they are released. The project involves daily contact with activity leaders, educators and trainers, six days a week both inside and outside prisons.

Objectives

  • Improve the detention conditions and socio-professional integration of incarcerated children.
  • Provide 400 incarcerated girls and boys with sports/educational activities and occupational trainingHelp
  • 100 children or teenagers to reintegrate into society after their release
  • Educate families and prison officers about children's rights, educational topics and gender issues
  • Raise awareness among the general public to combat stigmatisation

Project activities

Objective 1

  • Educational activities: (i) social and educational support (individual interviews for newcomers, individual information sheets, monthly individual interviews and weekly educational schedules), (ii) home and family visits to involve the families in the process and (iii) life project’ building and preparation for social reintegration.
  • Sport and cultural activities to improve well-being : (i) artistic and cultural activities and (ii) sports activities.
  • Occupational training and literacy relevant to the life project: (i) literacy activities and (ii) occupational training.

Objective 2

  • Educational activities : (i) educational support, (ii) home and family visits and (iii) life project building and preparation for social integration.
  • Sport and cultural activities: (i) artistic and cultural activities, (ii) sports activities and (iii) sports tournaments with other organisations.

Objective 3

  • Raise family awareness of educational and social issues : (i) identify topics for family workshops and (ii) workshops.
  • Raise awareness of educational and social issues among prison staff and social workers: identify topics for workshops and (ii) workshops.

Objective 4

  • Establish dialogue with the communities and local authorities to combat stigmatisation: (i) meetings with judiciary and ministry of justice officers and (ii) meetings with local organisations, local authorities and community leaders.
  • Raise awareness among the population to combat stigmatisation: (i) run an awareness communication campaign and (ii) distribute an awareness media release.

Expected results

Objective 1

  • 400 incarcerated children given support
  • Increase activities in prison: (i) 1 session of artistic and cultural activities per week/prison and (ii) 2 sessions of sport, literacy activities and occupational training per week/prison
  • 80% of families visited

Objective 2

  • 100 children receive support after their release
  • 50 children involved in tournaments with other organisations
  • 80% of families visited

Objective 3

  • 36 workshops with families: quarterly in six jails
  • 36 workshops with prison staff: quarterly in six jails
  • 6 topics for workshops with families and prison staff

Objective 4

  • 18 meetings with judiciary and ministry of justice officers: half-yearly in six localities
  • 18 meetings with local organisations, local authorities and community leaders: half-yearly in six localities
  • 6 radio awareness campaigns broadcast three times each in two localities
  • 12 awareness press releases distributed three times each in four localities

Partner

Kick the Ball, Save our Wildlife

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Kenya
Start date 02/01/2022
End date 07/28/2023
Cost of the project €20,337
Foundation funding €17,337
Project identifier 20210215
Partners Water4Wildlife
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Maasai Mara is an ecosystem of wildlife conservation and is home to several conservancies hosting both humans and wildlife. Like most children, the children within the conservancies love to engage in sports especially football during their leisure time. However, being a remote area, there is a lack of adequate facilities despite having access to public land in schools which could be used to construct a conducive football pitch that will enable children to play and have fun. During the sessions, community mobilizers and local rangers will be invited to raise awareness on wildlife conservation to both the players and spectators.

Project content

We will enhance wildlife conservation by organizing football activities integrated with sessions of creating awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation. Further, in collaboration with other local partners, we will support friendly matches for schools within the wildlife conservancies and work with community mobilizers and local rangers to share information on wildlife conservation.

Objectives

The main objective of the project is to use football as a fun activity for children to learn more about wildlife conservation. Through football, we will create awareness about wildlife conservation and its importance thus encouraging children to become future wildlife conservationists.

Project activities

  • Working with game rangers to sensitize the children on the importance of wildlife conservation during football-friendly matches.
  • Construction of a football pitch and procurement of sports
  • Continuous monitoring and evaluation of the project throughout the project execution
  • Launching of the project to the children of Ngosuani Primary School and Ngosuani
  • Handing over the project to the school and

Expected results

By the end of this project, it is expected that 1,300 children will have access to a good football pitch and football kits. Within the project implementation, we involve a series of sensitization sessions that will bring positive impact to both the children of Ngosuani Primary School and the Ngosuani Community towards embracing wildlife conservation thus resulting in a future generation of wildlife conservationists.

Partner

Learn&Play – Equal educational and sports opportunities for all children!

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Montenegro
Start date 02/01/2022
End date 05/31/2022
Cost of the project €78,180
Foundation funding €59,180
Project identifier 20210481
Partners NGO Parents
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Although they are enrolled in school, vulnerable children often do not attend regularly, and often drop out at an early age due to difficulties fulfilling basic needs (food, shelter).

  • Only 7 % of them continue to high school (source: UNICEF). After primary school, girls often get married (aged 14–15) and boys start to work on the street collecting raw materials.
  • Most are victims of discrimination, rejected by their peers and socially very isolated.
  • Alcohol, deviant behaviour, and violence are often present in their lives.
  • Their parents are often unable to support them, so the youngsters do not acquire basic knowledge and have very low school achievement, with only basic reading and writing.
  • Roma minority children have additional problems as they do not speak Montenegrin well, which is a further barrier to social inclusion.
  • None of them have ever had an opportunity to do any sport and are additionally deprived of opportunities to improve their health or have social interactions with their peers.

Project content

The Learn&Play project will help these 1,400 children, through sport and education, to socialise and become involved in peer activities to improve their social skills, which are neglected because of extreme poverty.

Equal educational and sports opportunities for all children! The project will improve opportunities for children aged 6–12 who live in poverty in suburban and rural areas of Podgorica, by supporting their education and social inclusion through sport. The project consists of football training, literacy classes, and a final event, the Learn&Play Cup. The project will help children turn their lives around by finishing school and gaining social skills.

Objectives

Support education and social inclusion of 1,200 children who live in extreme poverty.

Specific objectives

  1. Provide access to sport – free football training for 1,200 children who live in extreme poverty.
  2. Provide free literacy lessons for 400 children.
  3. Increase the children’s self-esteem, motivation, and social skills.
  4. Promote equal opportunities for all children among the main stakeholders.

Project activities

Organisation of free football training in 10 schools

Select ten elementary schools in Podgorica, with a total of 1,200 pupils, in coordination with the ministry for education, culture, science and sport.

Selected schools will be in areas with the greatest poverty.

2 near to an informal settlement with mostly Roma children

5 in suburban areas

3 in rural areas

Football training, twice a week for 120 children per school in two groups:

Years 1–3 (6 to 8)

Years 4–6 (9 to 12)

Each group will consist of two teams of 30 children, both boys and girls, with a minimum of 30% of girls, and 5% of children with disabilities. Each team will be trained by one coach (licensed physical education teacher from the school or a licensed coach) and one volunteer.

Training programme

This activity will involve 20 physical education teachers or licensed coaches and 20 volunteers. The training will focus specifically on working with children who live in poverty and offer guidance on its mission and values: equality, social inclusion, tolerance, teamwork, stressing the importance of education.

Providing sports equipment:

  • T-shirts will be provided for all 1,200 children (branded with project logo and UEFA logo)
  • Donated second-hand sneakers will be provided for the most vulnerable children
  • Football jerseys and sneakers with the name of their school will be provided for 400 children taking part in the tournament

Visits by famous football players

To motivate the children and promote the project, Montenegrin football players will visit each school and play football with the children.

 Free literacy classes

  1. a) In coordination with the schools, a group of children with literacy difficulties will be chosen for support.
  • 400 children will be provided with free literacy classes (40 children per school): 50% will be girls, 40% Roma children, 5% children with disabilities.
  • Children will be divided into two groups, regardless of age or grade: children with no knowledge of reading (including Roma children who do not speak Montenegrin) and children with reading skills below the normal level for their age.
  • 90-minute classes will be held in schools once a week.
  1. b) Recruiting and training coordinator and volunteers who will help children to learn
  • This activity will involve ten learning supervisors (Montenegrin language teachers) and 40 volunteers. The supervisors will develop learning plans and supervise the volunteers.
  • A training programme will be organised for all of them, focusing on the specific approach in working with children who live in poverty and guidance for the project’s mission and values: equality, social inclusion, tolerance, teamwork, and stressing the importance of education.

Learn&Play Cup – one-day football tournament

  • The Learn&Play Cup will be the first tournament of its kind in Montenegro, promoting social inclusion, equal opportunities and the importance of education and sport for all children.
  • 400 children (4 teams from each selected school) will take part in the tournament.
  • A detailed schedule of football matches will be drawn up in cooperation with the Football Association of Montenegro.
  • The tournament will be organised in the country’s largest stadium, belonging to FC Budućnost, and will resemble regular matches in every way – anthem, lights, security, judges, medals, and a trophy.
  • Football jersey and sneakers will be provided for all children taking part.
  • Transport and snacks will be provided for all children taking part.
  • After the tournament final, a press conference will be held to highlight the project’s achievements and results.

Expected results

  • 840 will children take part in sport for the first time in their lives (a total of 1,200 children given training).
  • 400 children learn to read and write.
  • 1,200 children will improve football skills, self-esteem, self-awareness, motivation, social skills.
  • Increased awareness of social isolation and education challenges of children living in poverty and importance of creating equal opportunities for all.

Partner

Extension of the Unis Vers le Sport school in Mali

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Sala, Mali
Start date 03/01/2022
End date 03/31/2022
Cost of the project €56,800
Foundation funding €36,000
Project identifier 20210653
Partners Unis Vers le Sport
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

For many years, Mali has been shaken by economic and political instability that has left most of its population out of work and struggling to survive. Despite these difficult circumstances, the Unis Vers le Sport school has been able to function normally since it was founded with UNESCO’s support in Sala, 30km from Bamako, in 2008.

Most of the region’s inhabitants make their living from agriculture or diving for sand from the bed of the river Niger. As many families cannot afford to send their children to school, they often have to work in the fields or the river.

Project content

This year, the school aims to take in more children to give them an eduction and better future prospects. The project will build a new classroom, with space for 50 pupils, and recruit two extra primary-level teachers.

Objectives

  • Increase the school’s capacity.
  • Improve the conditions and the quality of the education.

Project activities

The Unis Vers le Sport school is accredited by the Mali ministry of education and applies the national curriculum.

The school is mixed and every day after classes, the pupils do a variety of sporting activities, under the supervision of the teachers, to improve their physical and mental well-being and help them to thrive.

Once they have finished school, the children can go on to learn a trade in the partner training centre in Bamako.

Expected results

  • 50 more girls and boys in school.
  • 2 extra teachers.
  • Better teaching conditions.

Partner

Building More Than a Place to Play in the Brazilian Northeast

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Brazil
Start date 06/01/2022
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €165,286
Foundation funding €137,112
Project identifier 20211117
Partners love.fútbol
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children have the right to play and recreation. However, the conditions are not met everywhere for children to enjoy their rights. In Brazil, according to the Brazilian institute of geography and statistics, only 27% of public schools (2017) have sports facilities and 78% of children (2019) do less exercise than is recommended by the WHO.

The proposed project will be run in the Córrego da Fortuna community, a low-income settlement in Recife, where poor urban planning mirrors this lack of playgrounds and quality education. The aim is to mitigate this problem by creating opportunities for sport, education, arts, and psychological support. As many as 150 community volunteers between 16 and 60 years old will be recruited. The facility will serve as a community centre and a platform for activities by the university, presentations by local cultural groups, and a sport for education programme for 75 girls between 7 and 17 years old.

Project content

love.fútbol will promote a cross-sector partnership between the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife city hall, local programme partner Instituto Geração 4, and a broader range of community leaders and organisations to plan and build a football pitch that will serve as a sustainable platform for sports and educational sessions, a point of integration between the community and the local university, and a reference for municipal public policy.

The project methodology will follow what we call the ‘hardware x software’ model. At the grassroots level, love.fútbol will form partnerships with the broader target community. We will engage the key stakeholders (local government, parents, teachers, cultural groups and other youth advocates) to plan and develop safe and inclusive sports facilities (the hardware). At the organisational level, we will actively train and oversee a domestic organisation to deliver a sport for development programme (the software) that will focus on gender inclusion, English language classes and psychological support.

Objectives

  • Use love.fútbol's award-winning methodology and its 15 years' experience in developing community-driven sports spaces to establish a football facility in a vulnerable community in the Brazilian Northeast
  • Engage and empower the local community to build and take ownership of this space dedicated to sport and education
  • Once the space is inaugurated, deliver two-weekly sports for education sessions for 75 children
  • Partner with the city hall and the local university to keep the space safe and provide a daily schedule

 

Project activities

  • Joint creation of a community-driven sports facility: love.fútbol will partner with several actors and the broader community through engagement meetings, the creation of a neighbourhood network, and two collective building days to create a facility that will offer children a platform for sports and education. This network will also be trained in the use of management tools to activate and sustain the pitch long-term
  • Weekly sports sessions for 75 girls run by love.fútbol and local organisation Instituto Geração 4
  • Football and Zumba classes run by Recife city hall

Expected results

  • A 48x27m artificial turf sports court, including fences, LED lighting, sports equipment, community garden, and artworks
  • 150 community volunteers recruited and trained who will donate 3,500 hours to the planning, delivery, activation and sustainability of the facility
  • 75 girls taking part in a weekly sports programme, including English language classes, and psychological support, with the aim of doubling this number in the second year
  • 1,500 local children using the space and doing in sports activities

Partner

MINE/ COVID-19 Risk Education

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Cambodia
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €129,520
Foundation funding €129,520
Project identifier 20210613
Partners Spirit of Soccer
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

For over 30 years, Cambodia has suffered from landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Children are the most vulnerable and account for over 50% of the casualties.

Survivors are left maimed and traumatised, often removed from school, depriving them of an education, then further stigmatised as a burden to both their family and the broader community.

Since the Spirit of Soccer programme started in Cambodia in 2006, the land mine casualty rate has dropped from 875 to 65 per year in 2020. In simple terms, without our intervention, these and similar tragedies would continue unchecked.

 

Project content

Our mission is to use soccer to educate children living in conflict and post-conflict regions about the dangers of landmines, ERW and COVID-19.

We educate, train and employ local coaches and teachers to use our curriculum. The easy-to-understand football-related lessons teach children how to identify and avoid specific risks and unexploded ordnance. The culturally sensitive, fun and inclusive, approach creates a safe environment that provides healthy physical activity, hope and happiness.

Objectives

  • 14,000 youngsters (60% Male/40% Female) involved in professionally delivered football activities
  • 40,000 indirect beneficiaries of education and coaching workshops, local tournaments, peer-to-peer and multimedia campaigns, kits and outreach materials (posters and notebooks)
  • 60 local coaches trained in COVID-19 and ERW risk education, youth coaching at D licence level
  • Candidates for the workshops will include 25 Khmer United Nations peacekeeping deminers at the request of the ministry of defence

Project activities

  • Running coaching clinics through local schools in mine-impacted communities for 14,000 at-risk children
  • Expansion of field educational materials for ERW accidents and COVID-19 prevention measures to indirectly reach 40,000 youngsters
  • Ongoing liaison with the national Mine Action working group
  • Organising three football tournaments involving 150 players each (60% boys, 40% girls), delivering football coaching, ERW accident and COVID-19 risk reduction education
  • Preparedness training and education materials for players
  • Door-to-door training in the event of school closures

Expected results

  • Distribute 400 footballs and 14,000 ERW notebooks through coaching clinics and tournaments
  • Reach a target of 14,000 direct and 40,000 indirect participants, within a wide demographic of coaches and leaders, local youngsters, adults, educators, ministry officials and ERW working groups

Partner

Football4Good

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Thailand, Chiang Mai
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €30,288
Foundation funding €30,288
Project identifier 20210567
Partners Baan Dek Foundation (BDF)
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Tens of thousands of migrant children live in construction site camps throughout Thailand. The Baan Dek Foundation (BDF) supports over 1,650 of these children each year. The children live in slum-like conditions and face difficulties accessing healthcare and education systems. In addition, they have few opportunities to engage socially and connect with their peers, and the restrictions required in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic have left them even more isolated.

Project content

The Football4Good (F4G) project supports children and teenagers living in construction site camps, reaching 600+ children per year through sport sand youth empowerment activities to provide positive social opportunities and physical and mental benefits, promote gender equality, and facilitate integration by teaching youngsters life skills, respect and sporting values.

Objectives

  • Access to sport: F4G provides football sessions and matches, sports equipment and improvements to community.
  • Youth empowerment: Young people are trained as youth peer educators (YPEs), so that they can run football sessions and act as role.
  • Social and life skills: F4G presents an inclusive avenue for children to play an active role in community life and teaches them life.
  • Gender equality: F4G promotes gender equality in sport by eliminating barriers and preventing.

Project activities

  • Monthly after-school football sessions in priority construction site camp communities.
  • Weekly after-school football sessions in schools and a government institution.
  • Quarterly inter-community football matches.
  • 8 youth leadership training / refresher sessions for YPEs.
  • Monthly YPE follow-up meetings with BDF staff.
  • YPEs attend a professional football match with BDF staff.
  • Improvements to community sports spaces.
  • Sports equipment donated to communities.

Expected results

  • 120 F4G sessions delivered.
  • 500 children encouraged to play football.
  • 200 girls encouraged to play football.
  • 5 communities where sports facilities will be improved.
  • 300 people benefiting from improved facilities.
  • 40 YPEs receiving training/refresher courses.
  • 25 YPE follow-up meetings.
  • 4 inter-community matches.

Partner

Empowering children from La Matanza through sport, culture and education

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Argentine, Buenos Aires
Start date 02/28/2022
End date 02/28/2023
Cost of the project €47,645
Foundation funding €10,000
Project identifier 20210704
Partners United Through Sport Argentina
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

La Matanza, 25km south-west of Buenos Aires, is a severely disadvantaged area where poverty levels are higher than the 60% national average. There are also high rates of drug use and related violence, poor infrastructure (access to water, electricity and rubbish disposal), malnutrition and little access to healthcare services.

Project content

The mass participation programme consists of a combination of sports coaching and life-skill lessons. It is currently run daily in four public schools in the city of Buenos Aires. We aim to expand into schools in La Matanza to increase the reach and impact of our work. The programme consists of structured sports coaching, e.g. football, rugby and field hockey, in combination with life-skill sessions on cultural exchange, sustainability, individual and community well-being and gender issues. The sessions will be led by local staff and supported by international volunteers.

Objectives

  • Use our combined sports and life-skill coaching model to improve physical and mental well-being and to develop and sustain life skills (teamwork, leadership, decision-making and communication).
  • Use sport to improve educational engagement and provide pathways to success for talented and dedicated individuals.
  • Develop and establish our sport and life-skill model and methodology for further expansion.

Specific objectives:

  • Partner with at least three more schools to add another 2,000 children and teenagers to the programme
  • Provide workshops for 2,000 children and teenagers and achieve an average academic improvement of 15% per child, as in our programmes in Buenos Aires, and also achieve a 5% improvement in academic attendance per child
  • Use sport to address critical issues, such as crime and drug awareness, in a fun and interactive manner on the sports field

Project activities

January–February 2022 Contact new schools and local authorities to explain and develop the programme

February–March 2022 Purchase private mini-bus

March-April 2022 Hire new staff to work alongside PE teacher in local schools

March–April 2022 Design and coordinate sports and teaching curriculum after consultations with local staff

April 2022 Submit deliverables (curriculum)

May 2022 Programme starts

July 2022 Winter games event

August 2022 - September Interim report and assessments submitted

December 2022 Programme graduation ceremony

February 2023 Final report submitted

Expected results

  • Partnering with at least three and a target of four schools in La Matanza
  • Enrol at least 1,500 and a target of 2,500 youngsters
  • Achieve an average increase of at least 15%, target 25%, in participants’ academic grades
  • Achieve an average increase of at least 5%, target 10%, in participants’ academic attendance

Partner

Play for Equality

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Ukraine
Start date 01/17/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €120,000
Foundation funding €80,000
Project identifier 20210597
Partners Klitschko Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

A disappointing trend can be observed in Ukraine – girls do less sport than boys. According to a ministry of finance report, women make up only 25% of those who play sports. In Ukraine, an average of 20,000 boys attend sports schools, as opposed to only 6,000 girls (Lviv State University of Physical Culture, 2012). This discrepancy is caused by the many stereotypes that girls face when they want to play sports. It is necessary to convey the value of sport to the younger generation of girls and debunk stereotypes about women's sports.

Project content

Play for Equality is a project for physical education teachers designed to increase the involvement of girls in sport. Our main message is to communicate the accessibility of sport for girls and motivate them to get involved. During the project, we want to debunk stereotypes about women's sport and engage PE teachers and teenage girls in discussions about self-determination, the need to fight bullying and stereotypes and the importance of women's leadership, equal access to sport, sports physiology and motivation.

Objectives

The mission is to interest teenage girls in sports and physical activity in general, and to develop women's leadership.

Our objectives are:

  • Debunk stereotypes that suggest some types of sport are ‘not for women’;
  • Motivate girls to play sports and lead an active lifestyle;
  • Educate PE teachers on gender issues in schools;
  • Bring about positive changes in society by promoting sports activities;
  • Create permanent centres for the development of women's sports.

 

Project activities

  • Provide a 10-day online (or offline, if possible) training programme for 100 PE teachers;
  • Deliver sports equipment to 100 schools;
  • Create a five-minute educational video about gender inequality in sport for use throughout Ukraine;
  • Create 100 permanent football teams for girls in schools for a period of at least 6 months;
  • Organise a four-day camp for 10 representatives and trainers from football teams:

Expected results

  • 100 permanent football teams created for at least 1,000 teenage girls;
  • 100 schools provided with equipment for safe football lessons and help them organise football teams;
  • 240 girls involved in a football tournament and training about women's leadership, gender equality, healthy living, and other related topics;
  • 100 PE teachers involved in educational training;
  • 1 educational video on women's sports and debunking associated stereotypes.

Partner

Generation Sport 2022

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Armenia
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €64,086
Foundation funding €55,162
Project identifier 20210723
Partners Armenian Fund for Sustainable Development
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

This project is a follow-up to Generation Sport in 2021, which was a huge success throughout the country. In August 2021, Armenia had 1,403 schools with 368,184 pupils: 175,359 girls and 192,825 boys.

The lack of suitable equipment and the bad state of repair of the sports facilities hamper the PE classes that the children enjoy so much.

The armed conflict in 2020 took its toll on the children, who now need positive, fun experiences.

Project content

The project will promote sport among young people and encourage physical eduction throughout the country. Twenty-five schools will be selected to receive sports equipment. Events will be organised to promote sport and exercise among the school-age population. Organised meet-and-greets with sports personalities will motivate the youngsters and encourage them to fulfil their potential. The project will help promote the inclusion of disabled children in sporting activities.

Objectives

Overall objective: Promote sport and exercise among young people

Specific objective: Motivate the children and help them to fulfil their potential through the following activities:

  • Providing sports equipment for 25 schools, prioritising schools in remote regions and those with disabled pupils
  • Promoting the inclusion of disabled children through sport
  • Involving the ministry of education, science, culture and sport in organising sports competitions
  • Organising sports events

Project activities

Applications and selection

  • Launch, jury, school selection
  • Equipment purchases
  • Distribution to schools

Sports events

  • Meet-and-greets with sports celebrities
  • Promote the inclusion of disabled children
  • Sports events in schools

National school football competition

  • Promote sport
  • Award prizes

Expected results

  • At least 150 schools (over 40,000 pupils) apply for sports equipment
  • 25 schools (over 7,500 pupils) receive equipment
  • At least 10 motivational meet-and-greets, involving 1,000 youngsters
  • At least 4 sporting inclusion events, involving 200 youngsters
  • 300 brochures on the importance of sport distributed
  • 300 sports awareness posters distributed to schools

Partner

Live together II

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Turkey and Syria
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 10/30/2022
Cost of the project €200,000
Foundation funding €200,000
Project identifier 20210900
Partners Bonyan Organization for Youth and Development
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The Syrian refugee crisis remains the largest humanitarian and development crisis in the world. Across the five main Syrian-refugee hosting countries, over 10 million people need some form of humanitarian and resilience support, the highest number in nearly a decade. This includes 5.5 million Syrian refugees and 4.8 million impacted host community members.

The key underlying issues are large-scale protracted displacement, socio-economic conditions, COVID-19 and demographic pressures. Turkey currently hosts approximately 3.6 million refugees, the majority of whom live out-of-camp, integrated into host (Turkish) communities in cities and villages. Both communities therefore share the same environment and resources.

Project content

The Live Together II project is a continuation of the 2019 Live Together project. Work will be done in schools to disseminate and mainstream football3 culture among teachers, who in turn will pass it on to the children. Capacity-building courses will be held, playgrounds rehabilitated and brochures, guidebooks and sports supplies distributed.

Children with special needs will also be included in the sports activities. Girls’ and boys’ football teams will be set up to involve girls in sports activities, with the hope that this will lead to wider inclusion of girls within the community. The project volunteers will receive training on child protection principles, awareness of child protection issues, the promotion of children’s rights and health tips to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Objectives

The project’s overall goal is to use football as a tool for building peaceful coexistence, as well as to improve the sports infrastructure in schools in the border towns of Akçakale in Turkey and Tal Abyad in Syria.

Project activities

  • Playground rehabilitation: Playgrounds in five schools – in each country - will be rehabilitated so that children attending and living near the school can play sports, which will improve their life skills and promote peaceful coexistence.
  • Teacher capacity-building: The teacher training programme will last four days and focus on mainstreaming the football3 methodology as well as other social cohesion activities that can be integrated into classwork.
  • Capacity-building for youth mediators: Youth mediators will volunteer as coaches in the football3 leagues. They will prepare and facilitate the football3 sessions, mediate any conflicts arising between the teams and act as positive role models for the children.
  • Running football3 leagues: Football3 leagues will be set up: one in Turkey and one in Syria. All teams will include both Turkish and Syrian children. Children will play in a safe environment where they will have fun, learn life skills and build their resilience. The volunteer coaches will discuss well-being with the children to provide them with psychosocial support.

Expected results

  • Playgrounds will be rehabilitated in five schools in Turkey and Syria.
  • 100 teachers will be provided with training on football3 and sports for children.
  • 240 children will take part in football3 games in Turkey and Syria.
  • 80 young people will play an active role in their communities and receive training on football3 methodology, leadership and conflict resolution.

Partner