Advancing Health Education and Development for Children and Youth (AHEAD)

This project aims to improve the lives of more than 230 000 children and youth in disadvantaged communities in West and Francophone Africa using Sport and Play for Development and Peace (SPDP) programming. SPDP programming intentionally uses sport physical activity and play to improve education health gender equality and child protection for vulnerable children and youth. Some project activities include: (1) implementing twice-weekly sport and play activities for children and youth especially girls; (2) providing training for teachers coaches caregivers and children and youth on the right to play health education gender equality inclusion and child protection; (3) providing core training and follow-up support to coaches teachers and partners to help them integrate sport and play methodologies into their coaching and daily teaching; (4) building and rehabilitating safe play spaces classrooms and sanitation facilities ensuring appropriate spaces for girls and women; and (5) conducting knowledge sharing and learning forums and meetings to share best practices in use of SPDP. To ensure sustainability the project also seeks to improve the ability and commitment of teachers coaches communities national governments and key stakeholders to continue delivering sport- and play-based programs to children and youth at risk and to integrate SPDP methodologies into national development goals.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) increased positive physical cognitive emotional and social development of participating children and youth in particular girls; (2) increased commitment by teachers coaches and community members to use sport and play methodologies; and (3) increased engagement of national governments and local and international stakeholders to deliver and fund gender-sensitive sustainable sport and play programs.