Since its successful sport pilot-project in 2005-2006 in Iran, Columbia and Sri Lanka, Terre des hommes has decided to deepen its experience in the field of Sport and Development thanks to a 4-year project called MOVE, in partnership with UEFA in Eastern Europe. On the long run, it aims to fight against child exploitation and trafficking by helping the children build their self-esteem and their sense of belonging.

In 2005, declared “International Year of Sport and Physical Education” by a UN resolution, Terre des hommes (Tdh) took the opportunity to implement a pilot project called “Movement, Games and Sport” (MGS) in Iran, and later in Colombia and Sri Lanka. The purpose of this project was to contribute to the positive social integration of particularly vulnerable children through the training of local animators then rolling out the model within their own communities.

On an individual level, games and sport enable children to reinforce their own personal and social well-being by developing values such as trust, tolerance, respect, cooperation, honesty, creativity, responsibility and discipline. And on a more global level, they support the reintegration of the children into their family, local community or school system, thus preventing them from begging on the streets and being exploited.


UEFA partnership with Tdh in Eastern Europe - 2008-2011

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has made a four-year commitment with Tdh to set up a new project called MOVE using the MGS tool. It aims at helping community-based animators, sport teachers, primary school teachers, social workers and Tdh staff to develop their psychosocial and methodological skills, which – in turn – will be used to improve the well-being of children in Romania, Moldova and Albania. The project, with its slogan “Get up and MOVE!”, includes new ways of playing games, such as volleyball with water balloons or football in groups of two people tied by their arms, and other activities that can be used to encourage collaboration between children in team sports, building their self-esteem and sense of cooperation. As a result, school and local communities, both places offering protection from exploitation and trafficking, become more attractive to the children.


MOVE project strategy

In order to achieve quality and sustainability, the MOVE project works on 2 levels of action:

Reinforcement of competencies and training of trainers in 3 phases:

1.	A two-week training based on experiential learning and focusing on games and sport methodology as well as psychosocial topics.
2.	A long coaching period including individual coaching visits in the field and group supervisions.
3.	A replication period where trainees become trainers for their peers.

Advocacy on 2 levels:

1.	Networking and raising awareness of key partners (ex. ministry of education, ministry of social affairs, ministry of health, universities, sport institutions, etc) on the impact of sports and psychosocial activities in enhancing children’s wellbeing, based on a research.
2.	Organizing sport events in order to involve parents and communities as well as to sensitize a broader audience to the benefits of games and sport based on values.

Accomplishments and ongoing activities

On 7th March 2009 in Romania and 27th March 2009 in Moldova, two MOVE events were organised for children, parents, partners, authorities and media. These games and football fair play tournaments were a success for different reasons: they gathered 8 different communities together, created a non-competitive atmosphere by also giving points to fair play attitudes and rewarding every child with a medal, a cup and a t-shirt. Finally, they encouraged respect and collaboration between boys and girls through special rules.

Beside the activities with the children, the transfer of competences is already well underway in Romania and Moldova. After an intensive training and coaching period, the participants have entered the replication phase in pairs, becoming trainers for their peers, passing on their newly acquired know-how. This major step brought new competences to more than 70 animators in each country, and this multiplying process will go on until they reach around 400 new MOVE animators in total. This same 3-phase process is now taking place in Albania.

The next steps include involving parents and communities, as well as working with different partners towards the use and validation of the MGS tool at a national level.