We hope you are enjoying summer and this fantastic weather we've been having so far! This past month has been another busy one for Street Child. With the spotlight on football, thanks to the Euros, it’s a great opportunity to share more information about Street Child programmes where football plays a part in trauma recovery and boosts school attendance. Our largest Big Ride event to date raised a record one million euros, and our localisation efforts in Uganda have resulted in a significant increase in funding for local organisations. Read on for more!

How football is used in Street Child programmes around the world

In Mozambique, our team has used the power of play and football to support children who have experienced violence and abuse. Street Child organised structured football sessions, using the universal language of sport to help children overcome trauma while improving their school attendance rates. The football sessions also helped boost physical health, build teamwork and leadership skills, and improve overall mental well-being in children.

Our team in Sri Lanka has noticed that children are more likely to attend class when sport is offered and they can have fun with their friends. To encourage regular attendance amongst remote Tamil communities, we are renovating school playgrounds, introducing learning through play in classrooms, and hosting football matches between schools. So far, we’ve reached over 1,100 girls and boys with improved learning opportunities thanks to these efforts.

In Cameroon, where ongoing conflict continues to destablise the lives and education of thousands of children, we provided sports materials to schools, and combined sports and games with mental health support, counselling and life-skills development. Thanks to funding from UEFA, we were able to reach nearly 5,000 children with mental health support and enrol over 4,200 children back into education. 

Our biggest Big Ride fundraising event ever

A huge congratulations and thank you to everyone who walked, ran or cycled through the beautiful Belgium countryside as part of our largest Big Ride to date with 800 participants. The Big Ride is our annual fundraising event in partnership with Liberty Global, attended annually by professionals from the telecoms, tech, banking, consultancy and legal fields. It offers fantastic opportunities for employee engagement, team building and networking. 

This year's event at the stunning L'Orangerie du château de Beloeil raised a record-breaking profit of one million euros! With these funds, Street Child could enrol 43,300 children into school in Cameroon, build 50 temporary learning centres in Nepal, or support 10,800 caregivers in Nigeria with business training and loans for them to afford the cost of education for two children each.

Thank you to our incredible co-hosts Liberty Global and Telenet and all the amazing corporate sponsors who make the event possible, including our headline sponsor Infosys. If you or your employer would like to get involved with next year's event, please email the team at corporatepartnerships@street-child.org. 

Street Child programme in Uganda increases funding to local organisations

Street Child Uganda has been working alongside our incredible local partner YARID Uganda, Save the Children Uganda and Education Cannot Wait (ECW) to improve funding and support for local organisations and help them play a bigger role in responding to education needs. As a result, 29% of ECW’s investment is now implemented through local NGOs, surpassing global targets. We've established a dedicated unit to support local NGOs in accessing and managing ECW funds and are also providing continuing mentorship and tailored capacity support for local NGOs.