The Dream Ball Project

Today’s children and youth represent the single largest group of young people in history. There are 2.2 billion children and 1.5 billion youth in the world today. Of these, 1.9 billion and 1.3 billion, respectively, live in developing countries. Together, these young people represent an unprecedented opportunity to reduce global poverty and advance development.

Sports can contribute significantly to international, national and local efforts to give children a healthy start. Sports can help those who have not received a good start in life and equip youth with the information, skills, personal and social resources and support needed to make key life transitions successfully. Well-designed sports-based programs focused on healthy development, integrated with other community level interventions, and involving parents, teachers and peers, can positively affect the lives of children and youth.

The Dream Ball Project helps children in disaster zones by providing them with footballs made by recycling famine relief packaging. The design team behind The Dream Ball Project has redesigned relief packaging in a way that after it has served its primary purpose it can be turned into different types of balls depending on the size of the boxes.

UNICEF uses the game of football in various ways, from helping children recover from trauma to encouraging their physical and emotional development. The sport is more than just a game. It is a positive lifestyle and a way to promote a peaceful approach to conflict resolution. It lures the children away from drugs, unsafe sex and violence.