In Shisong, years of civil war left behind damaged infrastructure and disrupted schooling. Young people who grew up through the conflict now face real trauma, a lack of safe places to gather, and limited educational opportunities, all compounded by the loss of the sports spaces they once had.
Restoring damaged sports fields and ensuring a steady presence of local educators and coaches is a real priority for the community. In Bollate, Italy, Orizzonti Sportivi's own community of young volunteers is looking for its own concrete way to practise active citizenship and solidarity, giving both sides of the project a genuine role to play.
The project
Shisong 2.0 restores sports fields and spaces in Shisong, launching sports courses led by local coaches who are trained and properly paid for their work, so the activities can be run reliably and locally rather than depending on outside visits. Sport becomes a practical, post-conflict educational tool, giving children and adolescents a genuinely safe space to play and rebuild.
In Italy, young volunteers in Bollate take part in integration events and fundraising initiatives that sustain the project, creating a real, active bridge between the two communities. Local training and fair pay for Cameroonian staff underpin the project's autonomy, while ongoing participation on both sides gives it the continuity to last.
Who the project is for
The project's direct beneficiaries are over 800 children and adolescents in Shisong and the surrounding villages, who will have access to the fields and sports activities, along with 2 local, contracted coaches.
Its impact reaches further, to around 3,000 residents of the Shisong community and the Sacred Heart parish, and to over 900 people, including 200 young volunteers, involved in activities, events and fundraising in Bollate.
Project name: SHISONG 2.0
Proposing organisation: ORIZZONTI SPORTIVI ODV
Area of intervention: Inclusion & Social Development
Country: Italy