African Black’n Blue for access to education through football

A project managed by Inter Campus

Run by Italian club Inter Milan’s foundation, Inter Futura, Inter Campus is a social programme for disadvantaged children around the world. Since 1997, Inter Campus has used the educational values of sport to help young people reach their potential and has given thousands of children the chance to pursue their passion : football.

A project supported by the UEFA Foundation for Children

The purpose of the UEFA Foundation for Children is to finance socio-educational and sports activities and programmes for children around the world. The Foundation is active in the areas of health, education, access to sport, personal development, assisting refugees and protecting children’s rights.

The UEFA Foundation for Children has joined forces with Inter Campus to improve the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds in four sub-Saharan African countries: Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The “African Black'n Blue” programme aims to leverage the power of sport, particularly football, to help achieve several of the Sustainable Development Goals (education, health, gender equality, reduced inequalities and peace).

Context

According to UNESCO, more than 20% of children aged between 6 and 11 and 33% of children aged 12 to 14 did not attend school in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016. The school exclusion rate was 36% for adolescent girls and 32% for boys.
The African Black’n Blue project seeks to improve children’s education using football as a catalyst. It is currently running in Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with different goals set for each country.

Goals

Angola: improve health and prevent delinquency using football as a prevention and development tool for at-risk children
Cameroon: boost ethnic integration, particularly in rural areas, using football as an educational tool for peace
Democratic Republic of the Congo: provide assistance to street children in rural areas
Uganda: promote gender equality to reduce poverty among women

Activities

Organisation of weekly football training sessions for every child
Production of a specific methodological summary based on the knowledge of local partners and the experience of Inter Campus regarding sport’s social impact
Use of the Inter Campus methodology to promote children’s right to play, with a focus on young people’s education, personal development and health protection
Arrangement of transnational meetings to share experiences and create a strong network between the four sub-Saharan African countries, with the aim of lowering barriers and taking advantage of intercultural capacities

Impacts

Almost 1,500 children (including 250 girls) aged 6 to 13 as target beneficiaries of the project: Angola (800), Cameroon (200), DRC (250) and Uganda (250)
Some 12 local coaches involved in staff exchanges
Training for a further 60 coaches through transnational sessions