streetfootballworld announce collaboration with Confederation of African Football (CAF)

streetfootballworld announce collaboration with Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Association des Jeunes Sportifs de Kigali (Espérance), are to jointly host the “Unleash African Football” Festival on February 6, at Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre in Kigali, Rwanda.

The official CAF event, which takes place during the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN), marks a historic gathering of the African football community: professional players and grassroots talents, local and international, governors and fans, boys and girls, all connected around the shared belief that football can be used as a force for social good in the world.

Through football-inspired education and social programmes, Esperance has been using football to tackle long-standing issues of ethnic divide and social inclusion in Rwanda, since 1996.  It also hosts the ‘Kimisigara Football for Hope Centre’, a world-class community centre and football training complex, providing social services to 10,000 children per year.

The ‘Unleash African Football’ Festival will present a number of engaging activities that showcase how football can be used for social good. These include:

• A ‘football3’ game involving children from the community and professional players. football3 is an educational approach to football that promotes values of fair play, teamwork and respect. Named after its three halves, mixed gender teams decide on rules before the game, and following the match, reflect on theirs and the opposing team’s behavior, with points awarded for goals as well as for fair play.
• ‘Football Forum Theatre’, whereby football players become actors in a social theatre addressing issues such as discrimination, gender inequality and HIV/AIDS, soliciting feedback from spectators who will engage in these conversations.
• Workshops highlighting the role that football for good organisations play in addressing social issues in Rwanda and regionally.
• Dance and musical performances by local community members, as well as an opening and closing ceremony where speeches will be given by dignitaries in African football and politics.

CAF and streetfootballworld signed a collaboration agreement in 2014 based on CAF’s desire to effectively contribute to positive social change in Africa. streetfootballworld assists partners from all sectors to create strategies for smart investment and believes that the positive values of football can teach young people about fair play, tolerance, inclusion and respect. “Unleash African Football” provides a perfect opportunity to showcase this exciting collaboration.