Jointly with Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and Qatar Charity, Save the Dream concluded the first field activity of the project "Saving Children's Dreams in Somalia through Sport". This program falls under the umbrella of the Sport for Development and Peace initiative, which seeks to highlight sport as an effective tool for building societies, empowering and inspiring children and youth in less developed countries,
Developed with the institutional support of Unesco and primarily implemented in the city of Garowe, State of Puntland, the project aims to promote peace and reconciliation in Somalia through empowering youth and creating opportunities for vulnerable groups.
As part of this first phase of the project's implementation, partners kicked-off a "Train the Trainer (TTT)" programme which will lead to the delivery of capacity building activities on Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) for the benefit of local schools, NGOs, community and social centers, sport coaches, educators, role models, youth leaders, and volunteers.
While aiming at strengthening local capacities, the project will make full use of international best practices and the knowledge developed by Qatari organizations, including but not limited to Aspire Academy.
The project comes within the framework of the SDP initiative established by Qatar Charity and QFFD and as a contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which recognizes sport as an essential enabler of sustainable development.
The opening ceremony was attended by a number of senior representatives of Qatar Charity, QFFD, Save the Dream, UNESCO, the Mayor of Garowe, Abdilkadir Mohamed Geedi, and Suad Galow, founder of Somali Women Foundation.
The training will also include field activities and the organization of Sport Clinics inside internally displaced people (IDPs) camps, schools, sport facilities, and the Garowe City Stadium in preparation for the second phase of activities targeting over 50 local organisations.
For his part, CEO's Assistant for the International Operations and Programs sector at Qatar Charity Nawaf Abdulla AlHammadi said: "This initiative is an extension of Qatar Charity's previous efforts made in cooperation with QFFD and other partners." He added that "It was implemented in Darfur, Sudan, and now we are taking another step forward to implement it in Somalia to make more impact and bring about positive change in the lives of vulnerable communities and contribute to achieving social peace among peoples."
The Deputy Director General for projects and Development of Qatar Fund for Development Sultan Al Aseeri said: "Sport has proven to be an innovative tool of peace and cohesion, where it plays a vital role in fostering physical, social, and emotional health, improving learning outcomes, and transmitting key values such as teamwork, fair play, respect for others, especially among youth. That is why we launched our inspiring "Sport for Development and Peace" initiative in 2022. And we are proud to see our vision becoming truth through this important project that focuses on empowering Somali youth and reconciling peace through sport,"
UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa Prof. Hubert Gijzen said that UNESCO partners with Save the Dream for Sport for Development and Peace in its holistic model approach that focuses on community and capacity building to empower the youth being the drivers of positive change in the city of Garowe and beyond, harnessing the power of Sport, which is in line with the UNESCO Fit for Life initiative.
CEO ICSS and Save the Dream Massimiliano Montanari said: " First of all, I wish to thank Qatar Charity, QFFD and all our partners such as UNESCO and Aspire Academy for the opportunity to go back to the field and make available tools that Save the Dream and the international community have developed in the field of sport for development and peace. This means a lot; it means fulfilling our mission to protect children's dream by building local capacities to provide these children with a safe access to sport and its educational values."
For her part, the first captain of the Palestinian Women's National Football Team and "Save the Dream" initiative Ambassador Honey Thaljieh said that as a Palestinian who grew up in a context of conflict and violence, she faced many challenges, similar to most children and youth here in Somalia, however, she added that if one has a dream and work hard, one can achieve their dreams.
The Mayor of Garowe Abdilkadir Mohamed Geedi praised the program's results, stressing the initiative's importance at the level of promoting sports as a means of establishing peace, overcoming cultural, political and social barriers, as well as contributing effectively to the integration of young people living in Somalia, and protecting them from divisions.
