In brief

The SOL Foundation continues to assist Ace Africa providing opportunities for children through football to access life skills and rights education and increase community awareness of and participation in local child protection services; child rights will be identified, referred, and resolved through strengthening community and school links and introducing sport as part of the rights protection project.

Problem to be tackled

In Tanzania, Ace Africa works with traditional Maasai communities in rural and remote areas of Arusha region, where female genital mutilation (FGM), early marriage and sexual violence are common. Officially, 41% of girls have undergone FGM before the age of 14, and one in three girls and one in seven boys have been subjected to sexual violence prior to their 18th birthday. Unofficially, early marriage, FGM and sexual violence are even more prevalent, hidden through deeply embedded cultural systems, stigma, and taboos. Children lack knowledge about their rights, particularly Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and they and their parents, are unaware of child rights and protection systems which should be available but are often lacking in their community. In these traditional pastoralist communities, boys often tend to livestock and girls are sold into early marriage or child labour. As a result, children are denied their right to an education and / or drop out early or attend school infrequently. Schools in these areas are very poorly resourced and there are no funds for sporting opportunities and teachers lack professional coaching skills.

In Kenya, Ace Africa works currently in eight counties including Kisumu, where the HIV infection rate is 17.5%, three times higher than the national prevalence. High levels of poverty, transient fishing and trading communities, and traditional Luo and Luhya tribal practices such as early marriage, polygamy and FGM, have all impacted on the health, wellbeing and rights of children and young people. This has led to increasingly high levels of HIV infection, child abuse, sexual violence and exploitation, early pregnancies and school dropouts amongst children and young people. Despite the free primary school education policy in Kenya, children lack access to education and particularly sports opportunities due to a lack of skills and school funds.

Local partner

In partnership with The SOL Foundation, Ace Africa has developed and implemented a project which combines football with Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and life skills education, and the strengthening of community child rights protection systems. This project has led to an increase in students’ regular school attendance, improved academic achievements, life skills, confidence and decision making and a reduction in reported cases of early marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual violence.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries are children and adolescents aged between seven and 14 years, 50% male and 50% female including young people with special needs.

Ace Africa currently works in over 600 primary schools in Kenya and Tanzania; these schools are selected in partnership with the District / County development offices, based on the needs of the community and school, children’s vulnerability, poor levels of attendance and high risk of school drop-out.

SOL’s contribution

With a continued support from The SOL Foundation, Ace Africa will be able to further extend and expand the existing Ace Africa Child Development Programme, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people, and the protection of their rights.

SOL has supported the project since 2020 through establishing football opportunities and health and rights clubs in Tanzanian primary schools; further schools from the Kisumu West Sub-County in Kenya will take part in the new project.

Project partner

Ace Africa is an award-winning NGO that has worked in Kenya since 2003 and Tanzania since 2008 with the mission to enable children, families and their communities to participate in and take responsibility for their own health, wellbeing and development and the vision to see children and communities that are empowered, healthy and self-sufficient.

Ace Africa works with the community, government, and local partners to improve health, education, and economic development, with a focus on improving outcomes for vulnerable young people and children. Since inception, Ace Africa has improved the health, income, education, and rights of over two million children, young people, and their families in 20 remote and rural districts of Kenya and Tanzania.