Project

Capoerê by the Association Filhos de Bimba

Location

Beirut, Lebanon

Target

Underprivileged young Lebanon people, girls living in an orphanage

Timeline/milestones

Where we are now

Association Filhos de Bimba – Lebanon is working jointly with Fight For Peace (UK) on the organization’s strategic plan. So far they have done the following:

1- SWOT Analysis

2- Theory of Change

3- Association’s Pillars/Values

4- Development and design of new activities

Additionally, they have become members of Trust Law which will allow them to get advice on governance and organizational issues when needed.

They are also running classes in an orphanage attaining 40 young girls between the ages of 10 and 16. They applied to a grant by the Australian Embassy and submitted their project to two education Centres (1 in Beirut and 1 in the Bekaa area). If successful, the project will attain a total of 200 young Children.

What do we want to achieve

Sustainability in the programmes they offer. Down the line they would like to run capoeira classes in Underprivileged areas in Lebanon and open 1 capoeira centre in a community as well as form capoeira professors from the young people we will be working with.

What is the timeline for doing so?

Year 1: finalize theory of change, association’s pillars/values, programmes, short, medium, and long

Term objectives, and identify projects, opportunities, and donors.

Year 2-3: Develop the programme “Form a Capoeira Professor” (not final name), look for opportunities, develop the staff’s capacity, and identify the needs of the project based on the assessments. Identify a community where the centre can be based. Look into the social enterprise model and what it takes to move towards it.

Year 4-5: build the centre.

History/Impact

Association Filhos de Bimba – Lebanon has been working with young people in social projects since 2009, and since then has used Capoeira to work with over 500 underprivileged young children between the ages of 8 and 15 coming from Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon.

In 2012 they were selected to be part of Fight for Peace’s Global Alumni programme (GAP web address), and are now part of a global network of 135 organisations who are all using boxing and martial arts to work with young people affected by violence. In 2016, the association received a 2 years funding from Himaya and UNICEF to work with more than 300 young people in refugee camps all over Lebanon. Unfortunately, the funding by UNICEF was cut before the end of the year and they could not complete the project.

They believe that young people need supportive spaces in which to explore their emotions and reactions, while learning how to interact with others. In our work, we use the art of Capoeira to create opportunities for young people to come together to:

• Work towards a shared goal;
• show respect for others;
• Share space and equipment.

By creating a free happy environment in which young people can work on their ability to interact with others in a positive manner, they have seen dramatic changes in young people’s behaviours and attitudes, often after short periods of starting to practice capoeira with us. For example:

• One of the students shared a “new feeling” she started to get after joining the capoeira sessions: “I felt happiness that is something I never felt before.”
• One of the 13-year-old students used to hit her head in the wall whenever she got angry. This behaviour stopped after the sessions of Capoeira.
• One of the students once surprised them with his demonstration of leadership skills and initiative, by bringing his friend to class and by proudly stating he has been teaching him Capoeira outside of class hours for months.

Topics

• Free4Kids
• Marginalised communities
• Refugees

Capacity

• Staff: 3 people (2 trainers / 1 assistant and administrator)
• They do not have a venues, currently they work in schools, centres, or Camps

Contact

Facebook: www.facebook.com/capoeiralebanon/
Instagram: @fbeclebano