SUMMARY: Fundación Makikuna
This refugee sports profile focuses on Fundación Makikuna is an Refugee Sports NGO in South America. They work in Colombia and specialises in social transformation through sustainable actions to improve the quality of life of displaced and vulnerable people, responding to their needs and rights regardless of age, gender, social, ethnic, religious or nationality status. It focuses on working with the migrant population and population affected by the internal armed conflict and develop actions for protection especially of children and youth through organizational strengthening, sports, art and culture and social integration. Fundación Makikuna actions are carried out mainly in the south of Colombia where it has more than 11 years of experience.
CHALLENGES
Securing funding for the project is a significant challenge, compounded by the static sociopolitical context of Colombia. Incorporating refugees’ perspectives into program development presents challenges but is essential for creating relevant and effective programs. Establishing special safe spaces for women and girls has uncovered serious issues in participants’ pasts, including numerous reports of abuse. In response, the program created additionally training for staff and initiated specific initiatives focused on education and awareness regarding the participants’ situations and violence. This additional focus has highlighted critical areas that now need to be addressed to ensure the safety and well-being of beneficiaries especially of female participants.
LESSONS LEARNED IN DELIVERING REFUGEE SPORTS IN SOUTH AMERICA
Refugee Sports in South America: To address difficulties in funding it is crucial to effectively communicate the project’s importance and purpose to potential funders. The project plays a vital role in improving the environment for children through its initiatives and educational programs in schools.
Cross-cutting approaches: We strengthen communities at all stages of project development by focusing our actions on project management, advocacy, organizational strengthening and inclusion. To maintain relevance for the refugees the organization conducts evaluations with refugee input, which has led to the expansion of program offerings to include activities such as volleyball, dancing, and art. Additionally, refugees have been engaged as volunteers, receiving compensation, and some have taken on leadership roles, proposing and presenting new ideas to governmental authorities. Our beneficiaries actively participate in all stages of the project including in the project formulation, implementation, evaluation and feedback stages.
IMPACT FOR REFUGEES
Physical Capabilities Improvement: The organization aims to enhance the physical capabilities of children, including improving coordination for those with physical impairments. This impact is measured through baseline assessments conducted in February and endline evaluations in November each year, tracking progress over the program period.
Socio-Emotional Development: The program focuses on improving children’s emotional regulation and their ability to manage socio-emotional challenges. The impact is assessed by evaluating changes in emotional regulation and coping skills.
Life Skills Development: Developing essential life skills, such as decision-making abilities, is a key objective of the program. The impact is measured by assessing participants’ decision-making skills. To ensure the most accurate results Fundacion Makikuna use pre- and post-test surveys, personal interviews, psychomotor testing, risk mapping (assessment and updates) and focuses on incorporating feedback and learning into all its decisions.
For more on refugee sports programming and how to create inclusive, impactful and sustainable projects please contact info@thesportseffect.org