Soccer + Life Skills for Hundreds of Youth

In 2024, the Open Field Cameroon team engaged over 1,200 physically challenged youths in the City of Kumba and its surrounding environs. Participants learned more about educative skills in Business management, Entrepreneurship, Social inclusion and have received psycho social support for better mental health from the local team and partners in Kumba. This project happened alongside our traditional Sport-Based Youth Development Programs which engaged hundreds more, as you read about in our reporting last year (Boys and Girls Tournaments).

These new activities for a relatively new target population and marginalized community were connected to the Football for Community Resilience and Social Inclusion Project (F4CorSol) sponsored by FIFA Football Community Program 2024. This project is engaging football as a sustainable platform to promote quality education, reduce inequalities and social discrimination and stigmatization by providing equal opportunities to all youths on our program by bridging the gap.

The F4CorSol project has impacted the livelihood of over so many physically challenged persons using the game of football in the City of Kumba. Through the weekly football games, participants engaged in positive development activities on and off the football fields - in neighborhoods across the Municipality. Then activities were spiced with capacity building workshops on Entrepreneurship, Basic Project Writing, Business plan Development and Business management techniques. The results of these activities means positive impact on the livelihoods of 98% of these participants who are now capacitated with skills in the aforementioned areas.

The euphoria generated has seen a 100% increase in self-confidence and social inclusivity of participants fortified. The zeal to engage in business generated activities has been fully activated and the physically challenged persons are now more than ever before poised to become self-sufficient and committed in using their skills to engage into petty business activities for income generation. We are thrilled for the participants and their families and look forward to the next chapter in the growth of their personal and prospertiy towards success however they define it. 

That is the power of football!

This years girls tournament is a great lever in alleviating and addressing the dire circumstances faced by young girls in the community of Kumba, worsened by the ongoing feud in the English speaking part of Cameroon. This edition of Open Field's signature Sport + Social Impact programming was greatly appreciated by the communities because it created safe space for the girls to express themselves in community with one another and receive psychosocial support they is often unavailable. 

As part of the educational component of the 2024 Girls Program, we conducted a workshop on the production of reusable sanitary pads. All the girls took active part in separate training sessions. They received skills on the production and management of sanitary napkins. 100% of the Girls are confident and are willing to engage in producing and managing reusable sanitary pads. Additional outcomes related to the program are listed below. 

The soccer tournament kicked off in June and ran through August. We had a total of 24 games that were played on a weekly basis (Saturdays and Sundays exclusively) covering a period of three months. The games were hosted in two key sites: GPS Field Kumba Town and GSS barombi Field. 

 8 teams competed, listed below with their coaches name and the community they represent:             

 Legend Girls - Coach Kingsley (Kumba Town)

 Nkamanyi Girls - Coach Terence (Fiango)

 Njuki FC - Coach Elangwe (Station)

 Gunners FC - Coach Justice (Buea Road)

 Mile One Ladies, - Coach Harrison. (Mile One)

 Kumba United - Coach Abdoulaye ( metta Quarter)

 Barombi Ladies - Coach Njianka. (Barombi)

 Baptist Girls - Coach Lucy (Meta Quarter)

Finals Summary

The championship match took place on the 21st of August 2024 between Legend Girls Vs Baptist Ladies

 At the beginning of the game Baptist Ladies were leading 2:0 right up to around 72 minutes when Legend Girls scored their first goal making the scores 2:1 Surprising in the eyes of all the spectators Legend equalized the game at the extra minutes that was given and the match ended 2:2 that led to direct penalty kick. Shockingly Legend Girls came out the Champions defeating their opponent in the penalty kick 4:2.  It was an excited moments for all who came to watch both teams play for the second time that’s during the launching of the tournament and the closing of the tournament.

Project Impact and Results:

 98% of participants now have increased confidence and self-esteem in managing their menstrual health and hygiene.

• 95% improved skills especially in the domain of tracking their menstrual cycle.
• 98% of girls reported increased knowledge in handling and solving matters related to menstral health and also to improve on their personal hygiene.
• 100% of the girls have increased awareness in the sewing of reusable sanitary Napkin most of them gain skills in sewing the Napkins by themselves.
• 95% of participants demonstrated improved soccer skills and also interest in pursuing soccer carriers.

Beyond the data, we continue to focus on building relationships centered in trust. These relationships are essential to creating positive impact. From Program Staff to Coaches to Player to Families. Relationships are at the center of what we do and are essential to our success. We look like a soccer organization, however, at the end of the day - relationships created on and off the field are what matter most.

Thanks for believing in us and being a partner in this work!