On 18 August 2020, FIFA had announced its collaboration with the African Union (AU), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to promote a campaign against domestic violence in Africa by launching the #SafeHome campaign.
The initiative was set up with the intention of supporting women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Since restrictions due to lockdown have led to a greater risk of domestic abuse than before the coronavirus pandemic, careful steps have been taken by the organisations to try and solve this major issue.
African footballers have come out in full support of this campaign releasing video messages on their social media platforms to raise awareness of standing up to domestic violence.
AU Chairperson H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa and FIFA President Gianni Infantino spoke about the strong bond the organisations have built for the benefit of the African people. Both parties spoke about the strong opportunities that education through football can bring to the football-crazy region of Africa.
FIFA wants Africa to leverage the FIFA Football for Schools programme, which is coordinated by the FIFA Foundation globally.
FIFA President, Infantino has been very hands-on in this process and is trying to make a meaningful difference in Africa. He has visited 35 African nations over the last few years to emphasise the importance of Africa in the strengthening and success of international football. For this reason, the FIFA Forward programme has almost 300 projects running across Africa.
COVID-19’s impact has led to FIFA launching a FIFA COVID-19 Relief Plan to aid and support football in Africa during these troubled and testing times. FIFA is going to support fair access to all for vaccinations in the continent of Africa along with the support of the WHO.
Félix Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will assume the role of the AU Chairperson for a one-year term during the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which takes place on 6 and 7 February 2021, and the collaboration aims to continue to strive to succeed in the way it has been in recent times for the betterment of not only football but also the African people.
