The first ever OGERA Cup Tournament, a soccer competition for lesbian, bisexual and trans* (LBT) women attracted a crowd of more than 100 spectators. The Organization for Gender Empowerment and Rights Advocacy (OGERA) gathered 42 LBTs, divided into 6 teams to compete against each other. PlanetRomeo Foundation funding enabled OGERA to organize the event, including preliminary human rights trainings and outreach activities.
The event also raised the attention of the Ugandan football association (FUFA). The champions of this year’s tournament were LMB The Smashers and the OGERA Titans came in second. All participants were awarded a certificate. OGERA hopes to turn the soccer competition into an annual event. Visit our OGERA project page for more information.

In Mauritius, Young Queer Alliance has set up a Safety Centre for young LGBTQIA and Trans* people. The centre acts as an emergency shelter, office and meeting space – a true all-under-one-roof facility. This youth-led project is the first of its kind in Mauritius. PlanetRomeo Foundation funded the purchase of furniture, household appliances and other equipment for the shelter, as well as books and IEC materials for the information corner.
The Safety Centre is a safe haven for young LGBTIs to meet without fear of harassment, bullying, violence and being judged. The centre will also be used for existing and new programmes of YQA, which include meetings, support groups, trainings and psychosocial support. Visit our Young Queer Alliance project page for more information.

HODSAS in D.R. Congo recently organized a second peer educator training session on communication techniques and human rights, in which 20 LGBTIs participated. In total, HODSAS now has 40 peer educators/LGBTI communicators available. They want to empower the local LGBTI community and help them to counter the current increase of verbal and psychological violence based on sexual orientation.
This is part of a larger project to counter homophobia, which includes an LGBTI leadership building program, radio broadcasts to educate and influence the general public on LGBTI topics, as well as the set-up of a database of anti-LGBTI violence incidents. Visit the HODSAS project page for more information.

PlanetRomeo Foundation today publishes its Annual Report 2015. In 2015, a total of € 143,631 was funded to 34 LGBTI projects around the world, almost 50% more as compared to 2014. Presenting both financial and non-financial information in conjunction, the Annual Report offers a comprehensive view of its performance and added value as an LGBTI funding organization. The full Annual Report 2015 is also available for download.

Lighthouse NGO set up a telephone helpline to counsel LGBTI teens in Ukraine. To promote their helpline, they advertise online and on huge billboards in several metro stations. So far, they have already had a few successful calls and we hope there are more to follow.
Visit our Lighthouse NGO project page for more information about the organization.