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"Championnes": Strengthening girls' leadership through education and football

Project

Sports and Development
« Championnes » : le football pour faire progresser l’égalité filles-garçons en Afrique, FIFA, AFD, PLAN international
Project start date
Status

Ongoing

Project duration
3 years
AFD financing amount
2 800 000 €
Country and region
Africa, Benin, Guinea, Togo
Location
Benin, Guinea, Togo
Type of financing
Grant
Beneficiaries
Plan International
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AFD joins forces with FIFA and Plan International to promote women's football in schools in order to build the capacity of young girls to become agents of change in their communities in vulnerable areas of three countries – Benin, Guinea and Togo.

Context

“Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” is the aim of the fifth Sustainable Development Goal. In West Africa, women and girls have to contend with persistent discriminatory attitudes and practices. Social norms in many communities lock girls into the role of future mothers: 30% of girls aged 15-19 are married, divorced or widowed. 

Given this context, sport can be used as a tool to empower and improve the status of girls worldwide. It is an excellent way to improve their self-confidence and autonomy, while helping them to assert their personality and even develop leadership skills, in contexts in which their bodies are often a societal issue.

Description

In 2019, AFD and FIFA signed a partnership agreement marking the first encounter between the worlds of football and development financing, with the primary objectives of empowering women through football, and football for educational purposes. Within this scheme, the “Championnes” (champion girls and women) program is being implemented in Benin, Togo and Guinea. This project aims to build the capacities and self-esteem of over 5,000 girls. 

It is based on various actions: 

  • Establishing girls' sports associations through participatory and inclusive approaches 
  • Carrying out awareness-raising and capacity-building activities on the issues of gender-based violence, stereotypes and girls' empowerment, for all actors 
  • Launching participatory activities to renovate facilities, and providing sports equipment 
  • Assisting with the development of Village Savings and Loan Associations for women in order to increase the economic empowerment of young people 
  • Organizing initiatives to promote women's leadership, protection and inclusion through sport.

Impacts

  • Combating gender inequality through the empowerment of women and the deconstruction of stereotypes
  • Developing the network of sports associations and encouraging sporting practices 
  • Facilitating the socio-professional integration of young people