Plan International in EcuadorPlan International in Ecuador

Plan International Deutschland e.V.

Partner

Santa Lucía and Playas, Guayas, Ecuador

Location

February 2026 - January 2029

Project timeline

Children play basketball on an outdoor court surrounded by trees and a wire fence, while an adult walks nearby. The court has blue and red markings, and a brick building is visible in the background.

Community details

In Ecuador’s coastal province of Guayas, adolescents and young people in the cantons of Santa Lucía and Playas are growing up in contexts increasingly affected by violence, insecurity, and social fragmentation. Rising gang activity and unsafe school environments limit young people’s opportunities to learn, socialize, and develop safely. Girls and young women face compounded risks, including gender-based violence and restricted participation in public and recreational spaces. The project focuses on creating safe, inclusive environments where adolescents - especially girls - can access protection, build resilience, and reconnect with their communities through sport.

About the project

Implemented by Plan International, the project uses Sport for Development as a transformative methodology. Through inclusive sports activities, life-skills education, youth leadership training, mentorship, and community engagement, adolescents strengthen confidence, resilience, and leadership capacities while challenging harmful gender norms. The initiative works in partnership with schools, local authorities, and cantonal sports federations to rehabilitate and activate safe community spaces, ensuring that sport becomes a structured and protective alternative to violence and social exclusion.

Two girls playing football basketball on an outdoor court surrounded by trees and a wire fence. The court has blue and red markings, and a brick building is visible in the background.

Moving for Change

Aligned with the adidas Foundation’s vision of leveraging sport as a catalyst for social change, the project contributes to advancing gender equality and peaceful, inclusive communities (SDGs 5 and 16). By piloting an evidence-based Sport for Development model using the Plan2Inclusivize methodology, the initiative will generate learning that strengthens institutional capacity and supports future scaling across Ecuador and the South America region. Beyond individual empowerment, the project seeks to transform community norms, strengthen local protection systems, and demonstrate how sport can help build safer, more equitable futures for young people.