Inspirational and pioneering LiiKe

LiiKe – Sports and Development is the first and only Finnish development cooperation organization that uses physical activity as its primary tool. Since 2001, LiiKe has implemented impactful, physical activity-based development projects across the Global South.

The journey began with Executive Director Ari Koivu’s desire to continue the “Sports for All” initiative launched by Finnish sports organizations in 1987 in Mtwara, Tanzania. The idea was simple yet powerful: make school more engaging through physical activity. Over the past 20 years, LiiKe has carried out nearly twenty successful projects in physical and health education. These projects have supported basic education, strengthened teacher training in physical and health education, improved school sports facilities, and opened education and employment opportunities for marginalized groups.

Today, LiiKe’s goal remains to be an inspiring and pioneering organization in the field of sport and development, with a vision of promoting a more sustainable, equitable, and healthy world through physical activity and health education.

Empowering the Most Marginalized

LiiKe’s primary focus is on the most disadvantaged populations in its partner countries. Hundreds of thousands of children, youth, women, girls, and persons with disabilities have received support and resources to improve their education and overall well-being. Among them are young women like Vumilia and Najma, who participated in LiiKe’s gender equality initiative Empowered Girls Speak Out (EGSO). Their stories are featured in the short documentary Malkia, found at the bottom of this page. Their dream is to inspire others and improve the well-being of their families and communities through education.

However, the agency and opportunities of girls and other marginalized groups are still limited by deeply rooted attitudes and structural discrimination. Especially in rural areas, girls’ education is often seen as less worthwhile than that of boys due to conservative gender norms. Widespread poverty and lack of resources push families to choose early marriage for their daughters instead of continuing education. In addition, the global learning crisis severely affects basic education quality.

Girls suffer the most from this crisis. In Mtwara, Tanzania, where LiiKe operates, only 9% of girls who began secondary school in 2015 completed it. During the EGSO project (2017–2020), the number of girls completing school soared to 51.3%, thanks to the program’s school engagement model built around physical activity.

Our Mission and Broader Impact

To respond to these life-defining challenges, LiiKe’s mission is to strengthen the status, education, and well-being of marginalized groups through physical activity. At the same time, we promote quality physical and health education in our partner countries.

While our work is mainly focused on developing countries, global development issues are not confined to the Global South. The way we think and act in the Global North directly affects sustainable development worldwide. That is why LiiKe also engages in global education in Finland, using sport as a tool to raise awareness and promote sustainability.