This project will work with 294 children and 20 families to combat violence and improve gender norms within the Mangueirinha Favela in Rio utilising sport as a way of transforming lives. Through the project, violence and discrimination within the community will be reducing, and community members will be united through the power of football. This will result in an improved social environment for hundreds of children, and will lead to them having a positive outlook on their lives and futures.
Rio is one of the most violent states in Brazil. In the Duque de Caxias municipality, 1 in every 229 children who turned 12 last year is expected to be murdered before turning 18. Drug trafficking is particularly prevalent, with traffickers targeting children as young as 9 to move drugs around the community. The quality of education is low and children live in unstable family situations, often involving both drug abuse and domestic violence - behaviour which children then replicate themselves.
This project will implement a unique methodology which uses football to transform the lives of 294 children, their families and their community. The methodology focuses on teaching students to resolve conflicts without violence, and giving equal opportunities to girls and combating gender stereotypes. Tournaments will raise awareness of children's rights and the need for community involvement in their lives. Direct social support to the most vulnerable families will improve children's welfare.
Through this project, the Mangueirinha Favela will become less violent and less discriminatory towards girls and women, as 294 children are provided with access to quality sports training as well as vital information on human rights and social issues. Families will be more involved in the lives of their children, and the community will be more integrated through the use of football tournaments and community events.
