Where we work
Athletes for Africa focuses its program support in Africa on youth, and building sustainable communities.
We recognize that there is no single solution for Africa, but the more resources and voices there are, the better chance this next generation will have a future that they control. Athletes for Africa aims to lead the movement towards partnerships in Africa.
A growing list of organizations delivering programs in Africa is not the answer; cooperation is.
We do not create new projects to fund and support in Africa. We partner with existing, locally led organizations whose programming is already delivering sustainable and empowering programs for youth. The partnerships with these established, innovative and committed organizations in Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo allow Athletes for Africa to deliver expert-led opportunities for youth, where they are needed most.
EDUCATION – Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recently emerged from the bloodiest conflict since World War II. A decade of war has killed 4-million people, and displaced countless more. After ten years of war, there is a ceasefire and a newly elected government. People are returning home to devastated villages and a collapsed infrastructure. And, one of the first things to go in any conflict is education, and in the DRC, an education is often little more than an aspiration. The goal of this program is to help reintegrate former child soldiers and child mothers into the educational system, and society at large. To date, this program has successfully rehabilitated 11 schools in Fizi territory, and has helped over 4,000 children and youth gain access to education. Four hundred teachers have been trained from more than 30 schools, and training has been provided to over three dozen youth in radio programming, HIV/AIDS awareness and peacebuilding. The goals in the DRC are ambitious, but attainable and necessary for the country to move forward. This program is delivered in partnership with War Child Canada.
JOBS & TRAINING – South Sudan
The region of south Sudan has suffered through over two decades of civil conflict; a war that has had devastating effects on the region’s youth. Schools have been destroyed, there are insufficient teachers, and the farming and income generating opportunities have all but disappeared. The lack of skills and job prospects means that youth feel disempowered, turning to alcohol and other high-risk behaviours to fill the void. Young girls in particular face additional barriers, including the lack of value placed on girls’ education, forced marriage and early pregnancy. To empower local youth, this project aims to improve livelihoods for youth and young mothers in Tali, south Sudan through high demand trades training like brick-making and carpentry, seed funding to the Tali Youth Association to encourage youth entrepreneurship, the creation of a youth development centre, as well as focused Young Mothers’ initiative to support and empower girls who have grown overly dependent or isolated in their marriages. This program is delivered in partnership with African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) Canada.
PEACEBUILDING – Northern Uganda
Athletes for Africa is supporting efforts to train youth groups in peer counseling, conflict resolution and peace advocacy in an effort to empower youth and foster a culture of peace in war-torn northern Uganda, where a conflict has terrorized the region for over 21 years and has left over 1.5-million people displaced. This peacebuilding project is located in Gulu, Amuru and Pader districts and has been designed to strengthen community support structures and promote community peacebuilding among youth, as well as providing income generating activities for this often ignored age group. By carrying out effective community-level conflict resolution, peer counseling and recreation-based activities (music, dance, drama, and sports tournaments), this program provides opportunities for youth to deal with past traumas, as well as providing forums for positive interaction. As part of the program, a youth-focused radio show is also supported on Choice FM in Gulu, which provides a voice for young community leaders. The program is delivered in partnership with Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR).
