CBF Girls Youth Development League
This project's parent organization is Craig Bellamy Foundation
It operates in Sierra Leone
It uses Football (Soccer)
Entered the Sport For Social Inclusion Award
More about CBF Girls Youth Development League
Our League uses sport as a platform to improve social inclusion for youth, providing equal opportunities for boys and girls to education through their love of football. Issues of gender equality and youth inclusion are our focuses because a significant, underlying factor that fuelled the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone’s recent history was exclusion of youth, especially women, from meaningful participation in society. The current learning experience for children is among the worst in the developing world. For a population struggling with low literacy, poor school attendance, limited understanding of health issues and high youth unemployment, equal education opportunities are crucial to Sierra Leone’s development.
In a culture where females are marginalized and gender inequalities prevail, girls are less likely to go to school because they’re not seen as equals and face challenges including teen pregnancies, early marriage and forced prostitution. Our inclusive league uses unique point-scoring designed to incentivize school attendance and increase awareness of the importance of education and gender equality through life-skills and community projects.
By empowering children through education and football, our League provides development opportunities and career pathways for youth. Education has a multiplying impact on larger social issues including gender equality and child-rights.