Elena began in 1991 as a project aimed at training girls and women in Cameroon who had dropped out of school or were deprived of further education. It seeks not only to educate women and improve their standard of living, but also to empower them.

Elena’s Women in the Field project has incorporated football in its mission to disseminate knowledge and improve social conditions for Cameroonian women. Its football programme consists of over 800 female footballers who learn about issues such as HIV/AIDS, female genital mutilation and domestic abuse after each match. The organisation hopes to one day assist women with small loans to initiate and run small businesses, and to open nursery homes and schools for vulnerable children.