FIFA Foundation, OBHIZATRIK Unite to Empower Youth through football

The OBHIZATRIK Foundation, in partnership with the FIFA Foundation, launched the second year of the “Playing for Peace: FIFA Foundation Community Programme 2025–26” with an inauguration ceremony and a friendly football match at the Gulshan Youth Club Football Turf on Wednesday.

Assistant Private Secretary-2 (APS-2) to the Prime Minister Abdur Rahman Sani attended the programme as the chief guest, while OBHIZATRIK Foundation President Ahmed Imtiaz Jami delivered the welcome speech.

As the first Bangladeshi organisation selected as an official partner of the FIFA Foundation Community Programme, OBHIZATRIK Foundation is using football to promote youth development, social inclusion, leadership and peacebuilding.

Since the programme was introduced in Bangladesh in 2025, it has been providing regular football training and broader development opportunities to around 1,000 underprivileged children and adolescents aged 10-18 from Mirpur, Dhaka, including 600 boys and 400 girls. It also supports 50 children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities.

The initiative goes beyond football, using the sport to develop confidence, teamwork, leadership, empathy and life skills while encouraging social cohesion and peaceful coexistence among children and young people.

During its first year, from April 2025 to March 2026, the programme organised 48 football training sessions, six quarterly tournaments and 13 specialised sessions for children with intellectual disabilities, culminating in an inclusive friendly tournament.

Participants also took part in 18 life skills sessions, 18 educational and digital classroom workshops, 12 psychosocial counselling sessions reaching 104 children, 12 social and recreational activities, 12 football match screenings and four friendly matches.

Building on those achievements, the second year will expand the programme with 56 football training sessions, four quarterly tournaments, 22 specialised football sessions for children with intellectual disabilities, 24 life skills sessions, 24 educational workshops, 32 digital classroom sessions, 12 psychosocial counselling sessions and 12 community-based social and recreational activities.

Speaking at the launch, Jami said the programme marked an important milestone in using sport as a tool for youth development and social inclusion in Bangladesh.

“We are proud to launch the Programme in Bangladesh for the first time through OBHIZATRIK Foundation,” he said.

Jami said OBHIZATRIK Foundation has been working in Bangladesh for the past 16 years in education, healthcare, livelihoods, women's empowerment and youth development. The organisation currently operates in 32 districts and works with several international organisations and foundations on various development programmes.

Referring to government initiatives to promote sport, including youth-focused programmes and the Prime Minister's Gold Cup football tournament, Jami said the partnership between the two foundations would contribute to Bangladesh's Sustainable Development Goals by promoting youth empowerment, inclusion and community development through sport.

Sani urged financially capable individuals to sponsor underprivileged children through the OBHIZATRIK Foundation, saying such support could help create a healthier, better-educated and more responsible generation.

He said Tarique Rahman Sir strongly believes that, alongside education, sport plays an important role in the physical and mental development of disadvantaged children and adolescents and can contribute to building a healthy and prosperous nation.

“The Obhizatrik Foundation has been working to achieve this vision since 2010,” he said.

He also highlighted the significance of a Bangladeshi non-profit organisation becoming a partner of the FIFA Foundation Community Programme for the first time.

Sani said a monthly contribution of Tk 1,500 can provide a child with quality education, learning materials, school uniforms, shoes, healthcare and nutritional support.

Urging wider public participation, he said many people have the ability to sponsor at least one child and stressed that supporting a child's education and wellbeing is an investment in the country's future.

Following the friendly match, the champions received the winners' trophy, while all participating players were awarded medals by the OBHIZATRIK Foundation and the FIFA Foundation in recognition of their dedication and participation.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) vice-president Fahad Karim and Gulshan Youth Club Limited president Dr Wahiduzzaman (Tamal) were also present at the event.