For some time, several African authorities have been denouncing great difficulties regarding a phenomenon that has reached worrying dimensions: the trafficking of children aspiring footballers from Africa to the West, "bought" by families with false promises of employment. We at Protection4kids immediately embarked on our commitment to provide assistance and support to a football academy in The Gambia, to combat the phenomenon of child trafficking: the Mandinari Football Academy.
The Academy was created to create a safe bridge between the families of young aspiring players and the observers of football clubs.
Protection4kids offers its help by taking care of:
During the first three years of this project, Protection4kids faced the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, working remotely on the drafting of guidelines on the identikit of traffickers. The aim was to raise awareness among Gambian families of the danger of child trafficking and to train Gambian boys and girls on the risks associated with it. These efforts have helped promote awareness and protect children from potentially dangerous situations.
In October 2022, Protection4kids carried out the first on-site humanitarian mission in Gambia, with the aim of understanding the main issues of the Mandinari community. Pietro Coppola - one of our volunteers - shot a short film of the mission in order to delve deeper into the most delicate issues relating to the critical issues of the school and understand how to best intervene and structure projects in Gambia.
The project will be carried out according to a five-year plan: the first steps, carried out in 2023, saw the repair and renovation of the toilets of the Mandinari Primary School, considered as the highest prerogative.
In October 2023, Protection4kids carried out a second humanitarian mission on site to:
The trainers are responsible for describing the phenomenon of trafficking connected to the world of sport to young players, providing them with the identikit of the typical executioner. Protection4Kids volunteers have the opportunity to leave for missions in Gambia, guests of the Mandinari Football Academy, to teach children to play football, creating a real socio-cultural bridge with Italy.
