Ethiopia – Sport Builds Bridges Flag

  • Award Entered:
    Sport For Social Inclusion Award
  • Parent Organisation:
    Association Sport - The Bridge
  • Project Host Nation:
    Ethiopia
  • Overview of Project:
    The street child phenomenon is an alarming and escalating worldwide problem. In Addis Abeba more than 60’000 children live on the street. Ethiopia-Sport Builds Bridges offers them a possibility to find a way back to their families and society. During one year the children visit the compound where the staff supports them and their families to increase own resources and skills which are indispensably for re-socialisation and self-determination. After the reintegration Sport – The Bridge stays in close contact to the children and their families through a follow-up program in which support gets reduced step by step to enhance independency. In the centre of our activities are the sport-pedagogical teaching of the children about social behavior through sport, their reintegration in their families and the subscription of them to school. Learning stands in the center of our activities. In providing medical care, food support and teaching in various topics we secure a healthy development of body and mind. In workshops and self-help groups the families learn how to handle their children, to take responsibility and also improve in their economical situation. Children, families but also society has to learn to change their behavior whereas Sport is an ideal tool for such learning.

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: 27 Apr 2009 - 19:23 BST

At the very beginning of the project an ethiopian government agency suggested us to try to reintegrate street children in their families instead of only fostering their personal development by our sport-pedagogical program. We took this up. To achieve, that street children sleep again in their family's home you have to involve their families in the project work. Our target group are not orphans but kids, who don't go back home for sleeping. In most of the cases there is substantial lack of trust between children and parents, which we can rebuild by using our sport-pedagogic approach. Often we, i.e. our ethiopian staff, has to look for other familiy members who will take care of the kids because the old family situation wasn't and isn't sustainable. In order to get a more long-term solution for the kids, I would agree, and say it is a useful tool to integrate families in the project work. Thierry, President, Ass. Sport - The Bridge

: 27 Apr 2009 - 16:46 BST

This is a great project. something that really stands out to me is that you include the families in the curriculum. have you found this to be a useful tool?

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