Football for peace and social development: Campaign on how football can promote development and non-violence
To explore and implement the vast potential of soccer/sports to promote and contribute to social development, peace and integration in society for all.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Your idea
Sport
Soccer
Year the initative began (yyyy)
2007
YouTube Upload
Project URL (include HTTP://)
Positioning of your initiative on the mosaic diagram:
Which of these barriers is the primary focus of your work?
Few effective tools for personal improvement
Which of the principles is the primary focus of your work?
Social cohesion
If you believe some other barrier or principle should be included in the mosaic, please describe it and how it would affect the positioning of your initiative in the mosaic:
The issues of discrimination and exclusion based on gender, age, geographical origin, ethnicity, illness for example HIV/AIDS patients, political, religious etc affiliation are issues that are tackled in this project and which the range of activities are supposed to address. This is hoped to be achieved by using football and other forms of sports to show the need for inclusion of all in the activities of the community and making it possible for all to contribute their part in the development process. If we would want to achieve success and cohesion and enable all to participate and actively enjoy the basis for development and peace and inclusion to take place in the society, then we need to undertake exercises that are aimed at creating and promoting awareness on such issues that affect development and peace. If we have women who make up over 50 percent of the population but are refused possibilities to opportunities in all aspects of life, or if we do not make efforts to bring to the fore the rights, priviliges and issues affecting the welfare of children and the youth especially those of the girls, or if we can not integrate those with disabilities in the society or if we refuse to recognise achievements and capabilities or are not able to give merit based on achievement rather than ascription, then there is a lot that will remain lacking in the society.
People will not be able to contribute to the society and there is thus a waste of resources and the basis for conflict is pre programmed. We would want to promote the use of dialogue and communication in addressing issues rather than leaving them to violence and aggression of which we have so many in Africa.
We want to show through this project that sports/soccer is an effective and cost efficient way of promoting development and breaking all forms of social barriers by using creative and interesting methods to achieve development and peace.
Name Your Project
Football for peace and social development: Campaign on how football can promote development and non-violence
Describe Your Idea
To explore and implement the vast potential of soccer/sports to promote and contribute to social development, peace and integration in society for all.
Innovation
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence?
To explore and implement the vast potential of soccer/sports to promote and contribute to social development, peace and integration in society for all.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field?
This is the first kind of such a programme designed by Africans for Africans based on local circumstances to coincide with the largest single sporting event on the continent: Africa Cup of nations, CAN 2008. We have brought different organisations that deal with the youth through sports and education from all over West Africa and beyond like SOS Childrens Villages in Cameroun, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, La Cote D'ivoire with Ghana as the coordinating point. NGOs like Right To Play and Play Soccer are strongly involved. We have considered local circumstances in every aspect of the strategy. The youth are actively involved from design to implementation. They designed the logo, slogan and song for the campaign since they are players of tommorrow both on the filed and outside. We concentrate on aspects like character formation and dialogue that can not be measured in monetary terms but have huge impact on development and peace. Innovative rules and games make a long lasting impact of learning through fun.
What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change?
We want to bring down barriers based on gender and ethnic affiliations, xenophobia and homophobia through sports/games via conscientisation/education/dialogue.
The problem of ignorance on many issues affecting individuals health and education, their rights, the rights and privileges of children are themes to be covered by this project. We have to prove to the society that development and peace is not only through money but also through reconsideration of the mind set and the way we see and do things.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing?
We use sports and games to deliver our messages and work with those who are victims as well as the general public, governmental and non governmental agencies, the private sector, groups and individuals, sports clubs and authorities, the media etc . We plan programmes with and for the children/youth from all areas, urban to rural and involve them from design to implementation. We partner with organisations that are involved in issues of gender and children in the educational and health areas as well as the environment and culture. We get them involved to write essays on various topics related to these areas, organise debates with them, expose them to different forms of games that teach fairness, concentration, unity, cohesion, awareness on HIV and AIDS as well as general hygiene, and also social issues like integration, respect for gender, responsibility towards self, community, others etc. We go to the periphery and get the children/youth/general public and explain/dialogue with them about our intention/strategies and ultimate objectives.
How do you plan to grow your innovation?
We do not want to end with CAN 2008 but rather proceed further. The project is here to stay and show to others all over Africa/world how we can start from the basics but involing all stake holders from community to government and international community bringing together as many social entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and nations to show them how we can build the continent and address issues through sports/games. We intend to spread the strategy to other parts of Africa through partnering with both victims and experts. We intend to use this project as a starter and are exploring other ways and partners that can compliment and add to our existing startegies and methods. We also intend to affiliate with the various football authorities and sports organisations in different countries to give us official partnership with them so that we can run the programme of activities the whole year through from the villages to the cities for mass participation/involvement and
Impact
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact.
To promote character formation, fairness, equality, inclusion, rights, privileges, responsibilities etc. that form the basis for development and peace in the society for all.
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries?
Our beneficiaries are the children and the youth and those groups, institutions and individuals working with children/youth but of course the genral public is also a target through our conscientisation/awareness creation programmes/activities.
We have noticed how organisations, sport authorities, individuals and government institutions heard of our activities and saw the potentials in these startegies and thus called upon us to join us as partners to deliver the message. We have also heard during debates, essay competitions, focus group discussions and interviews how the youth expressed their joy at how much they are learning through their participation in this project and how they have engaged in discussions and spreading the mesage and impact among their colleagues in other scholols and at home.
We have also observed great interest among the general public through their particpation in radio and phone in discussions. Community and opinion leaders and the youth in many areas have on their own started designing projects using sports, art, games and music for development.
How many people have you served directly?
As at now we are dealing with more than 45 clusters of schools from eight of the ten regions in Ghana, we also have partners like Right to Play and Play Soccer who have provided children and the youth that they already work with thus we are dealing actively with between 12,000 and 15,000 children and the youth. Then of course there are the passive participants as well as the genral public. Our partners in West Africa are also reaching about the same number of people.
How many people have you served indirectly?
We have strong media coverage and some of our activities have been live on one of the most popular FM stations in Ghana, JOY FM. Through this we assume we have reached at least one million listeners since JOY FM and its sister stations all over Ghana attract not less than 3 million listeners. Then of course there are also the parents, peers and siblings of the youth we are working with.
Since the climax of the project for now will be CAN 2008 where the whole world and Africa are watching and listening, and the fact that we shall be having live Radio and television coverage, we are very optimistic of reaching miillions of people all over the continent and other parts of the world.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation?
We have motivated the youth and teachers for such independent actions and some have started establishing debating/essay clubs to tackle diverse topics/issues. We were contacted by the World Bank (Ghana office) expressing interset in joining us. This cooperation led to a development forum Dialogue covered by JOY FM Live for two hours all over Ghana and the internet in December. Opinion leaders in the communities, governmental and non governmental organisations, sporting authorities, past/current football stars/heroes have expressed interest in partnering with us.
What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact?
Using sports as a medium to peace and development is a relatively new startegy and we need to do a lot more to convince the youth and the public of the effectiveness of the chosen strategies. The sometimes over-commercialisation of sports and all forms of contracts/restrictions governing the sports do prevent us from free access. Of course the violence, exploitation, doping and cheating involved in sports and thus its image also serve as a barrier for our easy access and impact.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)?
As at now it is SOS Herman Gmeiner Fund in Germany, Stanbic Bank Ghana, MTN, Right to Play Ghana and Play Soccer Ghana who have provided funding in one way or the other for the poject to start and run for now. We are still looking for further funding from organisations and institutions as well as football and sporting authorities. We are ready for partners in different forms who also operate on the principles that we do and follow the strategies and methods that we hope to.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization.
SOS Children’s Villages is an international humanitarian organization that provides orphaned, abandoned and destitute children irrespective of race, nationality or creed, permanent home and prepares them for an independent life. The mission of SOS therefore is to build and strengthen families for children in need, help them shape their own future and share in the development of their communities. SOS Children’s Villages are in 132 countries and territories. SOS Children’s Village was established in Ghana in 1974. With two Children’s Villages in Ghana and a number of supporting facilities, the organization has been able to support many children in need.
This project has funding up to December but the prospects look promising for the next few months. We do use the facilities and staff of SOS in Ghana but not more than that. This project is independent from the activities of SOS so we have to look for funding just for this project and programme of activities.
What is the potential demand for your innovation?
We intend to send our innovations to educational and training institutions for the programmes and innovation to become permanet activities with reviews and adaptation. We also hope that groups/indivuduals/agencies and institutions both national and international, Governmental and Non Governmental would follow and emulate this kind of strategy. We also hope to involve reasearch students/institutions/organisations to do more investigation and analysis to further create impetus for research to come out with more and diverse strategies/studies for development through sports and games.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability?
The main barrier is that we do not have a budget for over a reasonable period of time to enable us plan the strategies and programme of activities over years and involving as many people and organisations as possible.
We are also reliant on the existing staff of SOS Childrens Villages Ghana which is a strain on the already limited resources. Most sponsors are also relunctant because there is no immediate and direct commercial interest for them and their interests.
The Story
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story.
It has always been my dream/intention to transfer what I have learnt to the people of Ghana and Africa where any susutainable strategy for peace and development is very welcome.
I am very much active in the social functions of sports, that is using the potentials of sports to achieve integration, peace, development, gender issues, xenophoibia, homophobia etc etc. I consult for Football Agaisnt Racism in Europe (FARE). I was the Ghanaian Fan Ambassador to the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany.
After the World Cup myself and a lady from Germany were nominated to receive the FIFA Fair Play Prize on behalf of the fans at the World cup. The ceremony was in Switzerland at the World Best Player award ceremony. It was here that I met officials from SOS Childrens Villages who have come to receive the symbolic keys to the 6 villages built by FIFA in three continents. SOS childrens villages was the official charity at the world cup. I discussed with the SOS officials and suggested to them that we could undertake such projects also on continental level. I suggested that the next African Cup of Nations in 2008 is to be hosted by Ghana and being from Ghana it would be a good idea to start from there. The first kind of this project anywhere ever. I went SOS Ghana and met the national and communication directors. That was how it started and here we are today.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material.
Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu is a sociologist, educationist, a lecturer and founder of two organisations involved in Development Cooperation is involved in many areas of Social and Community Development. He is a Consultant/campaigner for Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) partners of both FIFA and UEFA and does consultancy work in the area of Social Development and Intercultural Exchange for many other organisations. Intends to go back to Ghana and work in the periphery if funding becomes available.
How did you hear about this contest and what is your main incentive to participate? (this is confidential)
Even though I am a subscriber of Change makers newsletter, I did not see this competition untill Ms. Tyler Ahn contacted us and informed us about this competition with information. We found it appropriate for our course and projects and so we decided to enter. I as the consultant of the project was therefore assigned the duty of filling the forms in consultation with the whole team working on the project.
We believe that the ultimate objective of the competition falls in line with ours and we think through this competition we would come into contact and across people and organisations of like mindedness to share and exchange. Of course we are hopeful of being among those winning entries for the prize which will enable us to carry on and support us in achieving the sustainability for the project.
Affiliation (please list all that apply)
We do not have any affiliation but we have partners like Play Soccer Ghana, Right to Play Ghana, MTN, Stanbic Bank, World Bank Ghana Office, Ngorko Step By Step and others.
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| Brief intro Bella Jan 2008.doc | 20.5 KB |
| SOS-CAN 2008 CAF aug final 2007.doc | 181.5 KB |
| CV.English Version october 2007 doc.doc | 47.5 KB |
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