Today, on April 6th we celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace! The adoption of this Day signifies the increasing recognition by the UN of the positive influence that sport can have on the advancement of human rights and social and economic development and recognizes the positive role sport plays in communities across the globe.
Today, our world faces generational challenges, from poverty and hunger, to climate change to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we need to overcome our differences more than ever to tackle these obstacles and create a safer, more peaceful, and more sustainable future for all. And sport has the power to change the world!
In July 2020, HOPE’87 in cooperation with UNITED TEAMS – the strategic alliance of the YOU Foundation and with generous financing of the “ZF hilft” foundation (Germany), started the project “Resilience and income creation in the Sahel” with the aim of reducing the poverty linked to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This multi-approach project is an adapted and innovative response in the field of sustainable development in the cross-border area between Burkina Faso and Mali. It not only provides support for agricultural and poultry production, environmental protection, training for mothers in infant and young child feeding and accessibility to drinking water but also aims at creating community sports and cultural infrastructures to consolidate peace between the populations of the project area, with a special focus on young people.
The project therefore contributes to promoting sports in the border region between Mali and Burkina Faso for a strengthened social cohesion within the communities of both countries and contributes to the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” through sports as a facilitating and sustainable development tool in order to secure a sustainable and peaceful future for all.
Take a look at our pictures from Mali and Burkina Faso!