Impact 2024 International : 10 new winning projects in 7 African countries

10 projects selected from 202 applications

202 projects implemented in 35 different African countries were submitted for this third edition. The selection committee, made up of representatives of Paris 2024, AFD and experts from organizations such as La Guilde, Sport en Commun, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Plan International, Play International, the Decathlon Foundation and the Société Générale Foundation, selected 10 projects implemented in seven African countries. Added to the 22 winning projects of the first two editions of the Impact 2024 International call for projects in 2021, they bring the total number of countries reached by the call for projects to 17 (Uganda, Senegal, Benin, Morocco, Togo, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia).

In this third edition, team sports (rugby, soccer, volleyball) are particularly popular.  Aligned with the priorities of Paris 2024 legacy, all of these projects have the Impact 2024 stamp of approval.

Among these projects, in line with Olympic and Paralympic Week 2023, which focuses on inclusion, the multi-sport project “Overcoming Disability through Sport” is being carried out by the Ivory Coast Federation of Sports for the Blind and Visually Impaired (FISMA) in Côte d’Ivoire. Thanks to the €27,500 funding allocated by AFD and Paris 2024, the association will be able to:

• Detect 100 young visually impaired athletes (half of whom are girls) in the Jacqueville, Issia and Yamoussokro regions and give them access to a medical check-up for gynecological and ophthalmological examinations
• Integrate young people into existing or new handisport clubs by giving them access to training
• Offer training in Braille writing, traditional soap making and awareness sessions on physical health in order to promote the professional autonomy of young people
• Train 30 sports educators (10 per zone, including 5 women per zone)

Moreover, NGO A Human Rainbow works in the heart of the largest slum in East Africa, in Kenya, in partnership with the Kibera Black Stars. Their “Slum Soka” program has transformed a heap of garbage into a lively educational center and a sports field into a learning ground for young people who are agents of change. Discover this project through the testimony of Dennis Wanyama, coordinator and coach : 

The €29,500 in funding allocated by AFD and Paris 2024 will improve access to sports and edutainment activities for girls and people with disabilities and use the power of sports, arts and culture as tools for social change in Kibera. The winning project includes the renovation of a sports field, the deployment of social, sports and cultural activities with informal schools, the deployment of an after-school program within accredited schools, a “disability” training for facilitators, the implementation of a program for children with disabilities and finally a training program for peers, actors of social change. 

List of winning projects:

• “Strengthening of the Mapubi social, cultural and sports center in Edéa Cameroon, through a multi-sports socio-sport project for the education of young people in the city of Edéa” by the association Cultude in Cameroon*
• “Vaincre le Handicap par le Sport” is supported by the Fédération Ivoirienne des sports pour malvoyants et aveugles (FISMA) in Côte d’Ivoire*.
• “A new Isaac pitch in a slum: Improving access to Sports and Culture for social change” by the association A Human Rainbow in Kenya
• “Girls Power Punch Wellness Initiative” by Boxgirls Kenya in Kenya
• “Alafia Maroc – Rugby for Gender Equality and Youth Development” by Terres en Mêlées in Morocco
• “Supporting Programme Opportunities in sports to fight teenage pregnancies in Kasese district” by the New life Foundation for Community Rural Development (NeFCoRD) in Uganda
• “DEVLOP (DEVeloppement Local par l’Olympisme Partagé) “ by the ASSCAN association in Senegal
• “DJARAMA – Promoting sport among young people in Dialaw as a complement to citizenship and environmental education activities” by the Djarama association in Senegal*.
• “Rugby, Vector of Personal Development and Social Integration of Senegalese Youth” by the Maison du Rugby in Senegal*.
• “S’accomplir grâce au basketball” by the association Leading Youth, Sport and Development in Togo*.

Opening of the 4th and last session on January 16, 2023

Are you carrying out a project in Africa that uses sport to promote health, education, equality, inclusion and environmental protection and would like to receive funding or support?

Eligible organisations (associations, foundations, local authorities, companies, sports clubs, federations, cooperatives, state structures, public structures, among others) are invited to submit their initiative for this last edition of Impact 2024 International” on the platform Sport en Commun until February 13, 2023 at 23h59 (GMT). A tutorial on how to submit a project initiative is available. The structures whose initiative has been selected will then have access to the project submission from March 3 to April 17, 2023.

The projects must take place in Africa. All 54 countries on the continent are eligible, except for the red zones defined by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. In line with AFD and Paris 2024 priorities, special attention will be paid to projects targeting vulnerable populations and countries or areas with fragile contexts.

Winners will be eligible for a financing package of up to 40 000 euros per project, up to a maximum of 75% of the project’s overall budget.

Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024: “After a successful partnership to support athlete-entrepreneurs with impact projects, Paris 2024 and AFD are once again teaming up to promote the legacy of the Paris 2024 Games in Africa through the “Impact 2024 International” call for projects. Thanks to the 32 projects supported, sport and its benefits will be used to promote health, education, inclusion and gender equality in 17 countries. We look forward to the opening of the latest edition of the call for projects on January 16!”

Rémy Rioux, Chief Executive Officer of AFD: “To bring about a positive impact through sport, in fields such as education, inclusion, gender equality and health: that is the ambition of the ten winning projects, which the AFD is proud to support, in partnership with Paris 2024, through the third session of Impact 2024 International. Together, we continue to put sport into development, and put development into sport, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa. For a world in common”.

Photo credit: La Guilde / Bastien Laure

*Subject to the validation of the Anti-Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (AML-FT) due diligence.

** Subject to the validation of the AML/CFT due diligence and the fulfillment of the previous conditions .