Refugees in Cameroon can now play on new sport fields

This week, the Sport and Cooperation Network is inaugurating sports fields and an elementary school that were built for children and youth in the community of Boulembe, Cameroon.

The refugees who fled violence in the Central African Republic and found refuge in neighbouring Cameroon, find themselves in a precarious situation. The Sport Network (Red Deporte y Cooperación) is working to improve their living conditions through sport.

As a result, the children of Boulembe will be able to play safely on two football fields, a volleyball court and a netball court. The facilities were made available by the NGO, thanks to the financial support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID) and the collaboration of the United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) in the field.

Support for education through sport
The Spanish ambassador to Cameroon, Marcelino Cabanas Ansorena, was present during the ceremony, and said he is “proud of the Sport Network’s work and the results achieved through this project”. He encouraged the team to keep working for the improvement of education through sports.

Young leaders
In addition to the construction of sporting and non-sporting facilities, the project also equips young leaders with the knowledge and confidence to carry out the sports activities with children and young people once Sport and Cooperation Network has gone.

Social empowerment
It has been highlighted that sport is not only an activity that ensures physical wellness, but also provides opportunities for children and young people to find an escape from violence or crime. It can improve social skills and create bonds of friendship.

For women, sport is a unique opportunity to express themselves, develop their assertiveness and raise their position within society.

Background
Cameroon hosts over 87,300 refugees, a number that has been increasing since the latest developments in the Central African Republic, where at the end of March 2013, Michel Djotodia declared himself president after weeks of violence and conflict between the government and rebels.

Boulembe is a small village in eastern Cameroon, with about 900 refugees. 63% (550) are children under the age of 17, and only 74 of them are enrolled in primary school.

For this reason, one of the courts, specifically the small football field, has been built near Boulembe primary school to encourage attendance and decrease dropout for the 570 students enrolled, of which only 74 are refugees.

[This article has been edited by the Operating Team.]