UEFA Foundation board visits ActionAid Hellas in Athens
The board of trustees held its biannual meeting in the Greek capital ahead of the UEFA Conference League final.
The board, chaired by Aleksander Čeferin, met for the first time this year at the headquarters of ActionAid Hellas, a long-standing partner of the foundation. The meeting was unique as Ritah Aliguma, founder and CEO of the Aliguma Foundation, and some young beneficiaries from Uganda also joined the meeting. The board members appreciated the opportunity to meet with representatives of the two partners and thank them for their outstanding work using sport to promote the resilience and empowerment of young people.
The board took note of the upcoming departure of Urs Kluser from the foundation’s administration, thanking him for his tireless work over the previous six years. Carine N’koué will take over as General Secretary.
The members also confirmed the beneficiaries of the 2024 UEFA Foundation for Children Award, having received nominations from the 55 UEFA member associations. Nominees had to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Based in one of UEFA’s member countries
- Compliance with the Ethics Code of the UEFA Foundation for Children
- Registered with the relevant national authorities and comply with all legal and financial obligations
- Focused on helping disadvantaged children
In addition, priority was given to charities nominated by national associations whose partners had not received an award in 2023.
A total of 18 European charitable organisations working for children’s rights were selected, each receiving a grant of €50,000. The recipients are:
| UEFA member association | Award winner |
| Football Federation of Armenia | Akhtamar Girls Football Academy |
| Royal Belgian Football Association | Êkhô Sport |
| Bulgarian Football Union | Bulgarian Sports Federation for Social Development |
| Croatian Football Federation | Association of Persons with Disabilities of Sisak-Moslavina County |
| Football Association of the Czech Republic | Linka bezpečí (‘safety line’) |
| The FA (England) | Rays of Sunshine |
| German Football Association | Hopp Kindertumorzentrum Heidelberg |
| Hellenic Football Federation (Greece) | The Smile of the Child |
| Italian Football Federation | Scholas Occurrentes |
| Irish Football Association (Northern Ireland) | Irish FA Foundation |
| Football Federation of Kosovo | KFV Prishtina |
| Football Association of Moldova | AO Sunshine |
| Football Association of Norway | Football for the Goals (UN initiative) advisory foundation |
| Polish Football Association | Trenuj Bycie Dobrym (‘train to be good’) |
| Portuguese Football Federation | Portuguese Oncology Institute (IPO) – Lisbon and Porto |
| Russian Football Union | Maykop special educational and correctional College |
| Football Association of Serbia | OSVIT Association of Roma Women |
| Ukrainian Association of Football | Ukrainian Amputee Football Association |
Don Tiara Mirembe commented her visit (beneficiary of the Aliguma Foundation project):
“I grew up with a single mother and she could not take care of my best needs and me personally. But thank God the Aliguma foundation came in and started taking care of me. Now I can go to school, and I can get most of my best needs and even take part in football. It was a great honour for me to be able to speak to the members of the UEFA Foundation for children today, to share our experiences with them and to express our gratitude.”
2024 call for projects
This year, applicants should submit details of their projects between 1 July and 1 August. The selection criteria will be set out in the application form.
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Please send any questions to: tania.baima@uefafoundation.org