Lighthouse Rescue Sports Outreach (LRSO) in July 2025 signed a contract to facilitate the Sports for Development (S4D) project under the German Cooperation and GIZ initiative.
In August 2025, the organization deployed three Sports Consultants — Geoffrey Bottson, Choji David Bot, and Yop Bottson — to Taraba State to conduct a week-long training for 30 coaches and 50 players, forming Cohort 1 of the program.
The participants were equipped with practical skills and knowledge on how to use sports as a tool to promote peace, unity, empathy, leadership, and teamwork in their respective communities across Taraba State. The training concluded with a friendly football tournament featuring six teams made up of the trained players, each mentored by five of the newly trained coaches. During the matches, both players and coaches demonstrated the lessons they had learned, showcasing sports as a vehicle for social transformation.
Following the success of the first phase, LRSO returned to Taraba State from October 6–10, 2025, to conduct another week-long Sports for Development (S4D) training for Cohort 2, comprising another set of 30 coaches and 50 players. This second group also benefited from modules on how to use sports to foster peaceful coexistence, strengthen relationships, and build community resilience.
The Sports for Development (S4D) initiative is part of a larger project titled “Strengthening Capacities for Conflict Transformation and Livelihood for Groups in Vulnerable Situations in Nigeria’s Central Zone (PEACECORE II)”. The project engages selected government institutions, non-governmental organizations, national and international consultants, and grassroots actors to support conflict transformation and livelihood security in Taraba, Plateau, and Kaduna States.
These three states have, over the years, faced recurring cycles of violence fueled by ethno-religious tensions, farmer–herder clashes, and competition over land and resources. The conflicts have caused loss of lives, displacement, and erosion of trust among communities.
Recognizing the central role of young people in peacebuilding, Sports for Development leverages the universal appeal of sports to break barriers of language, religion, and ethnicity, creating safe spaces for dialogue, teamwork, and mutual respect. When combined with peace education and inclusion-focused interventions, sports have proven to be an effective means of promoting social cohesion, reducing tensions, and building leadership among youths.
Indeed, sports can play a crucial supporting role in preventing violence and fostering unity in divided societies.
For partnership or expert facilitation in sports-based peacebuilding programs, contact Lighthouse Rescue Sports Outreach (LRSO).
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