Fourteen grantees join SESLA programme to advance youth education and employability through sport in Africa
Fourteen new projects will be supported by Sport for Education and Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa (SESLA), a ground breaking initiative that aims to drive youth education and employability in Africa through sports.
SESLA was launched in 2024 and formed through an innovative collaboration between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Laureus Sport for Good with the support of key African sport and social development institutions. The initiative is in response to the reality that one in four young people in Africa are not in formal education, employment or training.
With the belief that sport is an efficient tool to address the challenge of youth access to alternative skills development and employment pathways, SESLA provided funding, tools and technical support to 14 sports-based projects across seven countries in its inaugural year. Those projects ranged from delivering adaptive sports-based entrepreneurships and digital literacy trainings targeting youth with a disability in Kenya; to uplifting young women through basketball, digital literacy and career readiness training in Monrovia, Liberia.
With the 2025 grantees joining the existing cohort, SESLA will not only onboard projects delivered by single non-profit organisations, but also include cross-collaborations among sport, civil society, NGOs, government and private sectors. Such projects test innovative approaches on how sport can promote employability pathways and create sustainable livelihoods for young people throughout the continent.
A complete list of current SESLA grantees can be found online.
With the belief that sport is an efficient tool to address the challenge of youth access to alternative skills development and employment pathways, SESLA provided funding, tools and technical support to 14 sports-based projects across seven countries in its inaugural year. Those projects ranged from delivering adaptive sports-based entrepreneurships and digital literacy trainings targeting youth with a disability in Kenya; to uplifting young women through basketball, digital literacy and career readiness training in Monrovia, Liberia.
With the 2025 grantees joining the existing cohort, SESLA will not only onboard projects delivered by single non-profit organisations, but also include cross-collaborations among sport, civil society, NGOs, government and private sectors. Such projects test innovative approaches on how sport can promote employability pathways and create sustainable livelihoods for young people throughout the continent.
A complete list of current SESLA grantees can be found online.
“In 25 years of Laureus, we’ve seen how sport continually proves to be a cost-effective tool in transforming young people’s lives around the world, from improving their mental health and well-being, to addressing gender inequality,” said Tegla Loroupe, a Laureus Academy Member and Kenyan Olympian, who became the first African woman to win the New York Marathon.
Loroupe continued: “Now in the past year, through this unique collaborative effort with the IOC and AFD, we saw a glimpse of how sport is used – and in innovative ways – to develop and equip young people with the necessary skills for sustainable livelihoods in Africa. By supporting more projects in 2025 and expanding the reach across North, South, East, West and Central Africa, we know this is just the beginning of a wider impact in Africa.”
Mrs. Felicite RWEMARIKA, IOC Member and IOC Olympism365 Commission member said: “Through this new cohort of grantees, the SESLA initiative is onboarding projects that are delivered through collaborations among government, sport organisations, private sector, and civil society organisations. This joint action and collaborative approach, will serve to further strengthen and sustain the impact of the IOC’s collaboration with AFD and Laureus, and aligned with its Olympism365 strategy, towards further strengthening sustainable livelihoods for young people across the continent.”
AFD Chief Executive Officer Rémy Rioux commented: “At AFD, we strongly believe that sport is a powerful lever for education, youth employability, and social cohesion across Africa. This conviction inspired the Sport for Sustainable Development Summit, co-organised with the IOC on the eve of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where over 500 global leaders, among them 55 Heads of State and government, committed to placing sport at the heart of youth empowerment strategies.
Rioux continued: “Through SESLA, we are turning this vision into action, supporting innovative, sport-based initiatives that equip African youth with the skills and opportunities to build resilient and inclusive communities. Together with the IOC and Laureus, we are demonstrating that sport is far more than a game - it is a universal language and a catalyst for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Click here to learn more about SESLA.
Loroupe continued: “Now in the past year, through this unique collaborative effort with the IOC and AFD, we saw a glimpse of how sport is used – and in innovative ways – to develop and equip young people with the necessary skills for sustainable livelihoods in Africa. By supporting more projects in 2025 and expanding the reach across North, South, East, West and Central Africa, we know this is just the beginning of a wider impact in Africa.”
Mrs. Felicite RWEMARIKA, IOC Member and IOC Olympism365 Commission member said: “Through this new cohort of grantees, the SESLA initiative is onboarding projects that are delivered through collaborations among government, sport organisations, private sector, and civil society organisations. This joint action and collaborative approach, will serve to further strengthen and sustain the impact of the IOC’s collaboration with AFD and Laureus, and aligned with its Olympism365 strategy, towards further strengthening sustainable livelihoods for young people across the continent.”
AFD Chief Executive Officer Rémy Rioux commented: “At AFD, we strongly believe that sport is a powerful lever for education, youth employability, and social cohesion across Africa. This conviction inspired the Sport for Sustainable Development Summit, co-organised with the IOC on the eve of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where over 500 global leaders, among them 55 Heads of State and government, committed to placing sport at the heart of youth empowerment strategies.
Rioux continued: “Through SESLA, we are turning this vision into action, supporting innovative, sport-based initiatives that equip African youth with the skills and opportunities to build resilient and inclusive communities. Together with the IOC and Laureus, we are demonstrating that sport is far more than a game - it is a universal language and a catalyst for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Click here to learn more about SESLA.
2025 sesla grantees
- Associação Moçambicana de Capoeira (Mozambique) – The programme uses capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial arts and game) as a central tool to promote the education and employability of young people.
- Association pour le Sourire d'un Enfant (Senegal) – Together with Thiès Sporting Academie and Fédération Sénégalaise d'Escrime the programme ‘Fencing, Senegal, Emancipation’ (FennSEE+) promotes alternative solutions, through and in sport, to provide employment and social inclusion opportunities for youth in conflict with law in Senegal and promote gender equality.
- Beder Organisation (Tunisia) – They focus on building strong, inclusive community relationships, emphasising youth leadership and innovation.
- ChezaCheza Mission Foundation (Kenya) – In collaboration with Jackfruit Finance, ‘Dance for Change: Empowering Youth and Schools in Kenya’ offers an innovative approach to teacher training by integrating dance into social-emotional learning in low-income schools.
- CNAEJT / SN (Senegal) – CNAEJT is dedicated to informing and training young people about their rights and to carry out actions to achieve them.
- Deaf Outreach Program (Kenya) – With collaborating partner Institute for Disability Training, they will empower young people who have a hearing impairment through volleyball.
- Friends of Health Initiative (Rwanda) – Their mission is to enhance the standard of living and health for underserved populations through education, advocacy, research and community action.
- Génération Sports Extrêmes (Tunisia) – GSX fosters an environment where individuals come together to exchange ideas and push their limits in board sports, with their programme ‘GSX Education Hub’ focusing on education and social inclusion for their participants.
- MindLeaps (Rwanda) – Their programme ‘Moving & Learning Together’ is designed to help young people access employment opportunities and education.
- Organisation pour le Développement Durable et la Biodiversité (Benin) - Their mission is to protect and enhance the biodiversity of conservation areas, and use football to raise awareness of environmental and educational issues through their programming.
- Plan International Rwanda (Rwanda) – By teaming up with Learn Work Develop, their programme engages young people – both women and men - in cycling, mechanics, welding and more, breaking gender stereotypes and offering leadership opportunities.
- CATCH Trust (formerly The Gary Kirsten Foundation) (South Africa) – The collaboration with the Lucha Lunako Foundation will equip young coaches with technical sports skills, entrepreneurial foundations, and vocational skills that promote sustainable livelihoods.
- Thousand Hills Rugby (Rwanda) – Their missions is to use rugby as a vehicle to improve access to education, promote gender equality, and provide job opportunities, focusing on player development and partnerships.
- United Africa (Morocco) – Their ‘United for Employability’ programme provides structured activities, including mentoring, tailored training, and sports, to help young people develop the skills necessary for long-term employment.
- Association pour le Sourire d'un Enfant (Senegal) – Together with Thiès Sporting Academie and Fédération Sénégalaise d'Escrime the programme ‘Fencing, Senegal, Emancipation’ (FennSEE+) promotes alternative solutions, through and in sport, to provide employment and social inclusion opportunities for youth in conflict with law in Senegal and promote gender equality.
- Beder Organisation (Tunisia) – They focus on building strong, inclusive community relationships, emphasising youth leadership and innovation.
- ChezaCheza Mission Foundation (Kenya) – In collaboration with Jackfruit Finance, ‘Dance for Change: Empowering Youth and Schools in Kenya’ offers an innovative approach to teacher training by integrating dance into social-emotional learning in low-income schools.
- CNAEJT / SN (Senegal) – CNAEJT is dedicated to informing and training young people about their rights and to carry out actions to achieve them.
- Deaf Outreach Program (Kenya) – With collaborating partner Institute for Disability Training, they will empower young people who have a hearing impairment through volleyball.
- Friends of Health Initiative (Rwanda) – Their mission is to enhance the standard of living and health for underserved populations through education, advocacy, research and community action.
- Génération Sports Extrêmes (Tunisia) – GSX fosters an environment where individuals come together to exchange ideas and push their limits in board sports, with their programme ‘GSX Education Hub’ focusing on education and social inclusion for their participants.
- MindLeaps (Rwanda) – Their programme ‘Moving & Learning Together’ is designed to help young people access employment opportunities and education.
- Organisation pour le Développement Durable et la Biodiversité (Benin) - Their mission is to protect and enhance the biodiversity of conservation areas, and use football to raise awareness of environmental and educational issues through their programming.
- Plan International Rwanda (Rwanda) – By teaming up with Learn Work Develop, their programme engages young people – both women and men - in cycling, mechanics, welding and more, breaking gender stereotypes and offering leadership opportunities.
- CATCH Trust (formerly The Gary Kirsten Foundation) (South Africa) – The collaboration with the Lucha Lunako Foundation will equip young coaches with technical sports skills, entrepreneurial foundations, and vocational skills that promote sustainable livelihoods.
- Thousand Hills Rugby (Rwanda) – Their missions is to use rugby as a vehicle to improve access to education, promote gender equality, and provide job opportunities, focusing on player development and partnerships.
- United Africa (Morocco) – Their ‘United for Employability’ programme provides structured activities, including mentoring, tailored training, and sports, to help young people develop the skills necessary for long-term employment.
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Laureus Sport for Good is a global charity that supports children and young people by using the power of sport to end violence, discrimination, and inequality. Since 2000, programmes supported by Laureus Sport for Good have positively impacted more than seven million children and young people globally. In 2023 alone, more than 32,000 young people showed improved attendance, engagement and/or retention in education and more than 20,000 young people gained employability related life, social and/or vocational skills.
The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport.
Olympism365 is the IOC's approach to strengthening the role of sport as an important enabler for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, which it achieves by collaborating with a range of partners from both within and outside the Olympic Movement. The themes and priority areas for Olympism365 reflect the positive role that sport, and Olympism can play in society for the SDGs by contributing to creating healthier and more active communities, more equitable, safer, and inclusive communities, peacebuilding, and education and livelihoods. It is a catalyst for collective action, innovation and realizing the potential of urban sport and virtual sport to be a force for good.
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) helps advance France’s policy on sustainable investment and international solidarity. Through its public sector and NGO financing operations, research and publications (Éditions AFD), sustainable development training programs (AFD Group Campus) and awareness-raising activities in France, AFD finances, supports and drives the transition to a fairer, more resilient world.
Alongside our partners, we build shared solutions with and for the people and regions where we operate. Our teams are involved in more than 2,700 projects in the field, in 120 countries and French Overseas Territories. This work to protect global public goods (climate, biodiversity and peace, gender equality, education and healthcare) is our contribution to the commitment of France and the French people to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport.
Olympism365 is the IOC's approach to strengthening the role of sport as an important enabler for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, which it achieves by collaborating with a range of partners from both within and outside the Olympic Movement. The themes and priority areas for Olympism365 reflect the positive role that sport, and Olympism can play in society for the SDGs by contributing to creating healthier and more active communities, more equitable, safer, and inclusive communities, peacebuilding, and education and livelihoods. It is a catalyst for collective action, innovation and realizing the potential of urban sport and virtual sport to be a force for good.
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) helps advance France’s policy on sustainable investment and international solidarity. Through its public sector and NGO financing operations, research and publications (Éditions AFD), sustainable development training programs (AFD Group Campus) and awareness-raising activities in France, AFD finances, supports and drives the transition to a fairer, more resilient world.
Alongside our partners, we build shared solutions with and for the people and regions where we operate. Our teams are involved in more than 2,700 projects in the field, in 120 countries and French Overseas Territories. This work to protect global public goods (climate, biodiversity and peace, gender equality, education and healthcare) is our contribution to the commitment of France and the French people to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
