Already exists – Dream team football academy
Rwanda is expected to launch the new Football for Schools Programme in partnership with the world governing body FIFA in May 2019.
FIFA’s new Football for Schools Programme aims to make football more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into physical education curriculum (or as an extracurricular pursuit), thereby contributing to the education, development and empowerment of children.
The Football for Schools Programme will be launched in Rwanda in May on a pilot basis in collaboration with Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) Rwanda’s Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC) and the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC).
As part of preparing for the launch ceremony, a FIFA delegation composed of Myriam Burkhard, Head of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Philip Zimmermann, Grassroots & Youth Development Manager and Marie-Florence Mahwera, Regional Office Development Manager are in Rwanda for a two-day visit aimed at having meetings with concerned stakeholders on April 24 and 25, 2019.
Besides the FIFA delegation, the UN WFP team will also be part of the scheduled meetings which will also attract FERWAFA, MINISPOC and MINEDUC officials.
As part of FIFA’s strategic road map FIFA 2.0: The Vision for the Future, the design and implementation of the programme contribute to the development of the game at the national level while placing it at the service of local communities.
It will provide support through tangible actions and tools, such as the provision of education and instructional materials (including apps and an online platform) for teachers.
Through this initiative, 11 million footballs will be distributed to schools in territories of FIFA’s 211 member associations, reaching more than 700 million children, and an online platform will be created to inform teachers on how to incorporate football into education.
In particular, the programme will benefit from FIFA’s extensive track record in technical football development, UNESCO’s long-standing experience in education and sport, and the success of the WFP’s school feeding programme, which runs in more than 100 countries.
School feeding helps to ensure that every child has access to education, health and nutrition by providing children with meals while in school – an important foundation for sport and physical education.
Implementation of the Football for Schools Programme is envisaged to start in mid-2019 with the roll-out of pilot projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America on the basis of interest expressed by national associations and the specific local sporting and football conditions in the countries involved. A budget of USD 100 million has been allocated by FIFA to the programme, which will be implemented until 2022.
