Andahuaylas Sinkumunchis School

Location and general information

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

Context

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

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

 

Project goals

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

Project content

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

Partners

Mbo Mpenza Challenge

Location and general information

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

Context

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

Project goals

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

Project content

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

A number of activities and programmes are planned, including:

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

Partners

Values on the Field: Football for social development and equity

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Argentina
Start date 01/02/2025
End date 06/30/2026
Cost of the project €280,055
Foundation funding €106,408
Project identifier 2024000047
Partners River Plate Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Context

The socioeconomic situation in Argentina is critical, with 54.3% of children living in poverty (INDEC, 2022), only 50% of young people completing high school education and basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics steadily declining (UNICEF, 2022). The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these inequalities. However, thanks to football’s popularity, educational sports projects are helping to reintegrate excluded children in marginalised areas of Argentina, ensuring long-term sustainability.

In Argentina, around 20,000 community clubs are playing a crucial role by providing vital social and recreational activities, giving many children a first opportunity to participate in sport and offering a space for community participation regardless of economic circumstances. They serve as safe havens that keep children off the streets, engage them in health-promoting activities and instil values essential for their adult lives.

Project goals

Overall goal

Improve the quality of life of children and their families by providing them with tools and skills to meet future challenges and integrate into society.

Specific objectives

  • Encourage and strengthen the holistic development of vulnerable children through educational projects
  • Train social leaders in the River Plate Foundation’s specific methodology
  • Use football as a tool for social engagement and value formation to empower children and their families to become agents of change in their communities
  • Generate opportunities for personal development and social integration

Project content

Values on the Field is a comprehensive programme designed to foster social development and equality through sport, specifically targeting children and young people between the ages of 6 and 14. The programme operates in seven Football and Values Schools, using a special methodology to provide a structured environment in which participants can engage in football and other sports activities that promote social and personal values. Inter-school meetings give the participants the chance to meet other children and put their skills into practice, and the foundation has also built five multi-sport courts. The programme emphasises the importance of integrating women and indigenous communities, ensuring inclusivity and diversity in all activities.

Partners

Leadership through Sports

Location and general information

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

Context

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

Project goals

Overall goal

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

Specific aims

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

Project content

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

Partners

Badgers Next Gen

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Cap Town, South Africa
Start date 01/15/2025
End date 12/15/2025
Cost of the project €27,105
Foundation funding €27,105
Project identifier 2024001424
Partners Badgers Football Academy
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

A study in the UK found that 43% of girls had dropped out of sporting activities by the time they had gone through puberty; 68% indicated that it was because they felt judged and 43% said that it was because they felt unsafe.

South Africa is an extremely unsafe place for girls. It has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. On average in 2024, over 15,000 women were assaulted every three months and almost 1,000 were murdered.

South Africa also has one of the highest levels of wealth inequality in the world. The World Bank reports that 55% of the country lives in poverty. Cape Town specifically suffers from deep-rooted gangsterism and spatial and housing inequality as an ongoing result of the apartheid Group Areas Act, which forcibly removed black people from so-called white-only areas.

Public transport in South Africa is unreliable and riddled with safety issues, and an incredibly small number of sports clubs cater specifically for girls. As a result, it is virtually impossible for the majority of girls to find safe, supportive and professionally run sporting communities.

Project goals

  • Provide a safe and professional football environment for girls living all over Cape Town
  • Create pathways for girls to grow, athletically and personally, building confidence, improving physical and mental health, improving academic performance, building and strengthening friendships and creating a sense of belonging
  • Offer school scholarships to players in need of additional support
  • Provide safe transport home after dark for all who need it
  • Upskill female coaches and referees through funded courses and practical experience throughout the season
  • Build strong relationships with players’ families to ensure a strong support network for all
  • Ensure players have access to healthy food and drinks on game days

Project content

Badgers Football Academy is a Cape Town football club owned and run by women for girls and women. It breaks down the barriers that exclude girls from sport and uses football to empower young women, by giving them access to a safe and supportive, values-driven, professional football environment.

  • Professional coaching three times a week
  • Ongoing mentorship from coaches and older players
  • Sports equipment, tracksuits and kit
  • Nutritional meals on game days
  • At least 10 school scholarships per year
  • After-school tutoring and academic support
  • Regular team-building activities and an annual friendship-building camp

Partners

Empowering Zambian adolescents to conserve nature through sport

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Basanga community, Musungwa chiefdom, Itezhi-Tezhi district, Southern Province, Zambia
Start date 03/31/2027
End date 03/31/2027
Cost of the project €125,250
Foundation funding €54,750
Project identifier 2024000945
Partners Game Rangers International
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Over two-thirds of the estimated 12,000 people living in the remote Basanga community are under the age of 19. These children and adolescents face many challenges, including a lack of education, food insecurity and inadequate healthcare.

Basanga lies on the edge of Zambia’s largest and oldest protected area, Kafue National Park, a rich ecosystem home to 30% of the country’s total elephant population and countless large carnivore species. Desperate community members living in poverty are drawn to poaching as they face scare employment opportunities and may not see the value of natural resources. At the same time, the absence of law enforcement lowers their risk perception. Single unemployed women in Zambia are particularly vulnerable to being exploited by the illegal wildlife trade. Women are considerably less likely than men to report wildlife crime and are drawn to exchange information, sex and secure accommodation on the borders of the park for bushmeat or money. This dangerous cycle of transactional sex perpetuates the spread of HIV, gender-based violence and unwanted pregnancies.

Project goals

  • Reduce wildlife crime in and around Kafue National Park by raising awareness of conservation efforts and empowering young people through vocational training
  • Improve young people’s health, well-being, problem-solving, leadership and resilience
  • Prevent unplanned pregnancies, child marriage and sexual and spousal violence in Basanga by championing sexual health education and empowering girls

Project content

Game Rangers International (GRI) is building a multi-purpose community youth sports centre for the Basanga community. Over the next two years, with critical support from the UEFA Foundation for Children, GRI will engage, educate and empower children and adolescents at the centre, helping them to develop their skills and surrounding them with positive role models.

To this end, GRI will:

  • Recruit and train a groundsman responsible for security and maintenance
  • Recruit and train a community outreach ranger to schedule activities, develop content, coordinate partnerships and facilitate sessions
  • Furnish and equip the centre so it can serve as a classroom, exhibition space, sports centre and outreach office
  • Decorate the centre with conservation awareness posters and information
  • Encourage children and adolescents to visit through radio broadcasts, posters and school visits
  • Offer structured weekly football training and fitness sessions for children and adolescents
  • Establish a vocational skills station and invite local professionals to offer short vocational courses for young people
  • Offer children and adolescents training on environmental conservation, girls’ empowerment and life skills

Partners

Football for Economic Empowerment and Improved Mental Health

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Netherlands, Ter Apel
Start date 03/24/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €100,172
Foundation funding €73,352
Project identifier 2024001105
Partners KNVB WorldCoaches
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Migration is a divisive issue, especially when it comes to asylum policies. The Dutch government’s announcement of new asylum and migration rules, including plans to repeal a law that ensures accommodation for people with refugee status is distributed fairly across the country, has led many municipalities to abandon plans for asylum shelters, worsening overcrowding at the central reception centre in Ter Apel.

There are two central reception centres in the Netherlands, run by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). All unaccompanied minors are sent to Ter Apel, which now houses more than five times the permitted number, resulting in poor living conditions and neglect. Without education, activities or mentorship, children are reportedly showing more signs of trauma on leaving the centre than when they arrived, and the COA is struggling from lack of resources.

Project goals

  • Empower young asylum seekers and refugees living in Ter Apel by training them to become community coaches who organise regular, structured sports activities for children
  • Teach young asylum seekers and refugees leadership skills, help them take on mentorship roles and foster a sense of responsibility within the community
  • Improve the mental health of both the community coaches, through a renewed sense of purpose and self-worth, and the children who benefit from the positive, structured activities they organise

Project content

  • Football and life skills train-the-trainer courses will be provided to minors housed at the reception centre and refugees living in Ter Apel.
  • Children will be involved in practical sessions so that the course participants can put theory into practice.
  • In groups, participants will be tasked with organising daily sport activities for children.
  • If moved to a different part of the country, WorldCoaches will put the participants in contact with their nearest football club or reception centre so that they can continue their coaching activities.
  • Awareness events will be organised, for example on International Migrants Day.

Partners

UniDeportes: Football for rural youth empowerment

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Honduras, Trinidad, Santa Bàrbara
Start date 03/31/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €96,381
Foundation funding €56,381
Project identifier 2024001385
Partners educate.
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Honduras has the highest rate of economic inequality in Latin America and over 60% of the population lives in poverty. The NGO educate. is based in the rural department of Santa Bárbara, where barely half of young people continue their studies after primary school. For those who do stay in school, there are few opportunities that encourage personal development, a sense of belonging and meaningful community engagement. Sport plays both an educational and a social role and can help young people to develop values, skills and confidence they can use on and off the pitch.

Project goals

  • Help young people to develop a sense of unity and community belonging through sport
  • Support young people to develop core values and soft skills, such as leadership, teamwork and communication through sport, community events and monthly workshops
  • Train young people to lead local sports activities, helping them to gain leadership skills, confidence and practical experience
  • Encourage young people to get involved in their communities by organising and leading community sports events
  • Create spaces for children and teenagers in local rural communities to participate in sport and community events
  • Actively promote gender equality by ensuring at least 50% of programme participants are girls

Project content

Using educate.’s youth centre in the rural town of Trinidad, Santa Bárbara, which has access to a community football pitch, the following four elements combine to provide a holistic sports programme for rural youngsters that fosters positive values, soft skills and gender equity.

1) UniDeportes sports programme for youth leaders

Activities will be run every Saturday following the training of three youth leaders. These activities will focus on football but also explore other sports, encouraging participants to lead active, healthy lifestyles. In addition, these sessions will focus on building soft skills, particularly leadership skills, through sport, as well as giving young people a sense of community and helping them to work as a team. These young leaders will also receive monthly workshops on a range of personal development topics, ensuring they are supported in their own development.

2) Monthly rural community sports events

Project participants, led by youth leaders, will organise and lead monthly sports events, such as community and village sports days. The NGO educate. works in a number of remote, rural and marginalised communities, whose children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to losing out on educational and extracurricular opportunities such as sport.

3) Football teams for children and teenagers

The project will set up six mixed gender football teams in Trinidad, each with weekly training sessions. The teams will cover a range of age categories from 6 to 18.

4) The first youth football league in Trinidad, Santa Bárbara

The project will organise and run the first youth football league in Trinidad. This will be a significant opportunity for children and teenagers from rural areas to participate in an organised football league, the first of its kind in this part of the country.

Partners

Football for All

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Vietnam: Cao Bang, Can Tho, Ha Giang and Quang Tri provinces, and an additional two provinces in the Mekong Delta (provinces tbc based on feasibility studies)
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €159,951
Foundation funding €101,733
Project identifier 2024001059
Partners Football Association of Norway (Football for All in Vietnam project)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

In many ethnic minorities in Vietnam, boys enjoy more social and cultural opportunities than girls, who are expected to grow up to be wives and mothers. Girls therefore tend to be less educated, forced into early marriage and denied the chance to develop in other areas of life.

Project goals

  • Raise awareness of gender equality among ethnic minorities by fostering equal participation of women and girls in football and life skills education
  • Empower and equip girls and women in an additional two provinces by offering leadership training based on the Football for All in Vietnam model that has been funded by the UEFA Foundation for Children in Ha Giang province since 2022

Project content

The 138 football clubs in Ha Giang, Quang Tri, Cao Bang and Can Tho provinces that were funded by the UEFA Foundation for Children between 2022 and 2024 will be given additional football equipment and continued support, and new clubs created, with:

  • football coaching courses at 41 new football clubs in Quang Tri and Cao Bang provinces;
  • training courses for female life skills instructors at each new club;
  • climate change education at the clubs in Cao Bang and Ha Giang provinces in the far north of the country;
  • regular football and life skill activities at all 138 existing clubs; and
  • 118 ‘Fun Football Festivals’ at the existing clubs.

The project will also be extended to another two provinces, with:

  • a feasibility study in each province;
  • the creation of 30 new football clubs, with football coaching and life skills training courses at each club;
  • 30 ‘Fun Football Festivals’ (one per club);and
  • two provincial ‘Fun Football Festivals’ (one per province).

Partners

READY TO USE FFAV OFFICIAL Logo

Improvement of the protective environment and well-being of children at the Habbena recreation centre in N’Djamena

Location and general information

En cours
Location Chad, N'Djamena
Start date 03/01/2025
End date 02/28/2027
Cost of the project €159,592
Foundation funding €120,000
Project identifier 2024001047
Partners INTERSOS
Categories Access to Sport - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

There is a serious lack of sports infrastructure in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad. There are few existing facilities and many government-planned projects from 2008 remain incomplete or unusable. Access to sport is therefore limited, particularly for young people in working-class neighbourhoods. Despite recent progress, including the construction of a new sports complex and ongoing stadium renovations, current initiatives fail to meet the growing needs.

Project goals

Improve the lives of thousands of children in N’Djamena by expanding access to safe, inclusive sports spaces that foster physical, personal and social development, while promoting inclusion, respect and solidarity.

Project content

Development of sports infrastructure

The project will improve the sports facilities at Habbena recreation centre by installing a natural grass football field and a running track. Children and community leaders will actively plant and maintain the grass, promoting both environmental awareness and skills development. Additionally, drainage systems will be constructed to prevent flooding, ensuring year-round accessibility and reducing the health risks associated with stagnant water and waterborne diseases.

Environmental awareness and personal hygiene

Children will take part in educational sessions on hygiene and cleanliness to teach them the importance of a clean and safe environment. Waste management initiatives will be introduced, including the installation of bins, handwashing stations and toilets and a maintenance schedule for the common areas will be drawn up. Community leaders and youth club members will be trained to lead environmental awareness activities, encouraging long-term engagement. Special environmental days will be organised, with children taking part in activities that foster responsibility and sustainability.

Child protection and psychosocial support

The project will establish child-friendly spaces within the centre, offering recreational and life skills activities to support children’s well-being and social cohesion. These spaces will be run by trained members of the community and will be inclusive for people of all genders and any disabilities. A listening centre will provide psychosocial support, with skilled social workers identifying and referring cases of psychological distress. Around 150 children will receive psychosocial support through individual and group sessions. Service mapping will be conducted to ensure cases are properly referred to existing health and social services in N’Djamena.

School reintegration and gender-based violence referrals

The project encourages out-of-school children to resume their education by bringing them together with children attending school. A cohort of 60 children (60% girls) will receive support reintegrating into school over two years, with the project covering school fees and essential supplies. For those past school age, referral pathways will be established for informal education opportunities or vocational training. Additionally, children and adolescents identified as survivors of gender-based violence will be referred to specialised service providers, including the one-stop centres managed by the government and supported by several United Nations agencies and offices.

Partners

Aktive Jen Yo (Activating young people)

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Haiti, Villages of Destra, Carrefour Croix and Bossan, near Léogâne
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €389,655
Foundation funding €55,200
Project identifier 2024000247
Partners GOALS Haiti (Global Outreach and Love of Soccer)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Haiti faces extreme crises: unprecedented insecurity, gang violence, absence of government, severe fuel shortages, 40% inflation and a cholera epidemic, all amid ongoing natural disasters. Women and children are subjected to gang violence and assault, with obvious and very harmful effects on their physical and mental health, not to mention the collective anxiety and trauma of the country as a whole.

GOALS serves communities in rural Haiti where no other non-profits or government services exist, people suffer from isolation and extreme poverty, and children’s access to healthcare and education is extremely limited.

GOALS was created to use the power of sport to engage young people in underserved areas with education and leadership opportunities that support their physical, mental and social development. Aktive Jen Yo includes daily football, ‘purposeful play’, literacy and health education and community service. We focus on teaching social and life skills in a safe and empowering space, with equal access for girls and boys.

Project goals

Overall goal

Empower the young people of Haiti through structured football programmes combined with educational and health initiatives, leveraging the universal appeal of football to engage children and adolescents from underserved communities in support of their physical, mental and social development

Specific objectives

  • Physical health: Improve young people’s fitness and health awareness through regular football training and wellness activities
  • Education: Provide educational workshops and literacy classes to plug formal schooling gaps
  • Life skills: Cultivate leadership, teamwork and problem-solving through sport and targeted life skills training
  • Mental health: Offer mental health workshops and counselling sessions to support emotional well-being
  • Community engagement: Initiate community service projects to foster a sense of civic responsibility and investments in community

Project content

  • Football – daily training, friendly matches and tournaments plus ‘purposeful play’ (conflict resolution, gender equality)
  • Health education – disease prevention, sex education, gender-based violence, hygiene
  • Climate action – tree planting, recycling, community gardens, climate and gender education
  • Leadership training – projects addressing community issues led by youngsters
  • Schooling – literacy programme, tutoring
  • Community service – volunteering projects
  • Gender equity – activities to promote inclusion and equal opportunities for girls, plus education on children’s and women’s rights

Partners

Score! Kick away drugs and smoking among youth using the power of football

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Indonesia, Jakarta
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €60,000
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 2024000137
Partners ASA Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Drug use and smoking are becoming increasingly widespread among young people in Jakarta, Indonesia. The UEFA Foundation for Children supports the ASA Foundation's Score! programme, which leverages football to promote healthy lifestyles, healthy habits and values in a collaborative environment.

Project goals

  • Educate young people on the dangers of drugs and smoking
  • Promote healthy lifestyles through football
  • Train 60 teachers to deliver health and sports education
  • Engage over 6,000 students in weekly health-oriented football activities
  • Foster gender equality by ensuring equal participation
  • Enhance teamwork skills, leadership and self-esteem among participants
  • Strengthen the community’s involvement in promoting healthy behaviour

Project content

  • Teacher training workshops enabling 60 middle school teachers to deliver health and sports education effectively
  • Weekly training sessions consisting of football drills paired with health education for over 6,000 male and female students
  • Life skills development, with a focus on gender equality, teamwork, and leadership
  • Workshops and campaigns involving parents to amplify the programme's message

Partners

Fields of Future

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Iraq, Mosul, Sinjar, Sinuni, Bartilla (Nineveh governorate) and Ramadi (Al Anbar governorate)
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €141,865
Foundation funding €54,059
Project identifier 2024000456
Partners Al-Mesalla organisation for human resources development
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Personal development

Context

Although children living in the Nineveh and Al Anbar governorates have returned to school since their liberation from Daesh in 2017, their physical education has been neglected. Sports equipment is seriously lacking and engagement, especially among girls, is low. This is particularly apparent in Nineveh, known for its multicultural population, where social cohesion remains strained, while schools in Al Anbar have limited resources and inadequate facilities, with few opportunities for physical activity.

Project goals

Overall goal

Integrate sport into education programmes in Nineveh and Al Anbar

Specific objectives

  • Support children’s self-development and well-being
  • Enhance the quality of education
  • Promote children’s rights
  • Build a more cohesive and inclusive society by integrating minority communities
  • Foster unity and respect among students from different backgrounds
  • Create a sports-based model for lasting social change

Project content

  • Eight co-educational middle schools will be selected in collaboration with local authorities in Nineveh and Al Anbar to participate in the project
  • Teachers will receive training on the benefits of physical activity and how to facilitate and encourage student participation in sport
  • Each participating school will be provided with essential sportsequipment
  • Traditional gym classes will be replacedwith dedicated weekly sports sessions aimed at building core skills and fostering teamwork through fun activities and team games
  • Friendly matches and activities will be organised within each school, as well as competitions between the eight participating schools
  • The project will culminate in a final tournament involving all the participating schools, followed by a closing ceremony attended by community leaders, families and senior school staff

Partners

StationSoccer – HE Holmes

Location and general information

to be started
Location USA; Atlanta
Start date 04/15/2025
End date 12/15/2025
Cost of the project €95,496
Foundation funding €27,232
Project identifier 2024000858
Partners Soccer in the streets
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Atlanta has the highest income inequality of any city in the United States. This, combined with the ‘pay-to-play’ model that dominates football activities in the US, means children in underserved communities are locked out of participation. These children need affordable programmes in safe, accessible locations. Soccer in the Streets provides just that with StationSoccer.

StationSoccer – HE Holmes is located at the subway station of that name in the Collier Heights neighbourhood of Atlanta. With a per capita income of $33,759 (€33,068) and a poverty rate of 25%, it is one of the most underinvested communities in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. The project will provide Soccer in the Streets’ unique combination of football training and social and emotional capacity building to 150 six to twelve-year-olds. It is estimated that 80% of participants will be African American, 40% of the participants are girls and the vast majority will be playing football for the first time.

Project goals

  • Provide access
    • Eliminate transport obstacles and cost barriers
  • Improve well-being
    • Integrate social and emotional learning into the football curriculum
    • Train coaches to follow the curriculum and recognise adverse childhood experiences

Project content

Football and social and emotional learning sessions

  • Two 2-hour training sessions a week, with matches on Saturdays
  • Total of 26 weeks of training over the year (spring season from 15 February to 15 May, and autumn season from 15 August to 15 November)
  • Incorporation of social and emotional learning in training sessions, with a focus on resilience, self-management, social awareness, decision-making and relationships

Coach training

  • Coach training session in July to help coaches follow the curriculum and recognise adverse childhood experiences

Partners

Breaking Barriers : Well-being, Sport, and Social Integration for Children in Conflict with the Law in Madagascar and Cameroon

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Madagascar and Cameroon
Start date 12/01/2024
End date 05/31/2025
Cost of the project €300,000
Foundation funding €120,000
Project identifier 2024001074
Partners Grandir Dignement
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Improve the living conditions, physical and mental well-being, and social and professional integration of children in conflict with the law in Madagascar and Cameroon, by supporting local actors and promoting children's rights

Project goals

  • Improve conditions for children in detention and ensure they meet the fundamental needs of children in conflict with the law
  • Promote personal development and foster social and professional integration for children in conflict with the law
  • Empower children to advocate for their rights and increase societal awareness of their rights and needs

Project content

 

To ensure children in detention experience improved living conditions and enhanced physical and mental well-being:

  • Daily nutritional support
  • Medical support and essential supplies (first-aid kits, medicines and hygiene products)
  • Ensuring access to urgent medical care, including hospitalisation, psychological support, nutritional care and detoxification services
  • Facilitating access to sport, recreation and cultural activities during detention and legal proceedings, including football, dance, circus, basketball and theatre
  • Football tournaments involving young people from other associations and/or schools
  • Rehabilitation of detention infrastructure, including sports, sanitation and kitchen facilities

To ensure children are supported in developing their skills and life plans to achieve social and professional integration:

  • Co-development of life plans with children, guided by educators
  • Financial support for school fees, vocational training and income-generating activities tailored to each child's own plans
  • Regular visits and meetings with families to support, educate and empower them in their parenting roles

To ensure children in conflict with the law become active advocates for their rights in society:

  • Awareness-raising workshops for minors in detention facilities
  • Workshops led by peer mentors, i.e. young people previously supported by Grandir Dignement
  • Artistic productions to encourage personal expression and creativity

Partners

Mutola Cup Football League for Girls ́ Rights

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location All provinces of Mozambique, except Cabo Delgado
Start date 01/20/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €217,879
Foundation funding €75,798
Project identifier 2024000927
Partners Futebol dá força foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Mozambique remains one of the world's poorest countries, where traditional norms, attitudes and social structures restrict girls' rights and opportunities and prevent them from having their most basic needs met, from going to school to growing up in a safe and healthy environment. Sexual abuse and domestic violence are widespread, as is the rate of HIV among young women. Access to sex education is sorely lacking.

Project goals

With coaches acting as role models, offering weekly training sessions accompanied by health and sex education, the aim is not only to share information but to encourage interactive discussion of topics such as life skills and sexual and reproductive health and rights, to create a sense of agency among girls and promote healthy sexual practices. Girls and other members of the community will gain knowledge and learn how to put this knowledge into practice.

Project content

The football league, Mutola Cup, is part of the national school curriculum. With regular football training sessions, team talks and matches alongside workshops led by Futebol dá força's certified voluntary football coaches, it serves as an educational platform and support structure to advance girls’ education, empowerment and rights, in particular their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The Mutola Cup helps prevent child marriage, teenage pregnancy, violence, abuse and discrimination by providing girls with a support structure within the education system that keeps them in school and raises awareness of their rights and opportunities. Anti-hate and anti-discrimination approaches are fully integrated into the evidence-based methodology and tools used.

Partners

Logo