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Rehabilitation of displaced population through sports
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three young congolese boys pose on a court
Sport is one of the powerful tools that can be used to foster a positive attitude in a displacement situation.

In the context of war, when people are displaced, there is a lot happening in the minds of those whose status moves from inhabitants to refugees; sometimes it is hard to realise what they feel, despite being in the middle of so many people.

When war forces people to move, so much happens in the hearts of those who are forced to leave their homes, their jobs, their activities and are likely to have lost at least one of their beloved ones.

Adults will have the feeling of:

  • Losing their identity
  • Living in another world, different from the one in which they were born and grew up
  • Cultivating despair, anguish
  • Being victims of all sorts of abuse, which can be the case in some communities

These aspects are sometimes hard to detect in displaced people. This situation causes instability of mental health [note that mental health is not about the brain, but about what one feels in his/her heart].

Children will likely suffer from trauma on long term caused by:

  • The violent sounds of machine guns/weapons
  • The scenes of violence to which they may be eyewitnesses, this can be blood, pass by dead bodies etc.
  • The effect of losing their family members during the war will be struggling to make the difference between the reality and the dream
  • Trauma can also be caused by parents who physically and emotionally abuse their children as life will be difficult in the forced displacement

Being myself a witness of the impact of war during the Rwandan invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1998, the war was expanded from the Eastern DRC to the whole country, we abandoned everything during three months of intense combat; many of our sisters were sexually abused and got pregnant. I believe that if the community was aware of sport for development, all those girls should have lived their tough days in safe spaces.

It is well-known that when one is involved in their favorite sport activities, they are likely to forget about what they feel, that exact moment takes out all their thoughts, so that they remain focused on sport.

How can sports organizations involve displaced people in sport? How can sport impact those affected by war?

It is very simple - sports organizations can play a major role in attracting displaced people and enrolling them in their sports activities.

First, sport organizations should use the ball or any other attractive sport material as bait to bring as many people as possible together, including refugees, to play tournaments, and simple competitive games.

Second, they should transform their sport facilities into safe spaces for refugees by empathizing with them, encouraging them, celebrating their effort to actively participate in sports sessions, and most importantly by bringing effective inclusion policies into action and ensuring gender equality at three levels:

  1. On the pitch: Organizations should make sure refugees have access to play alongside ordinary participants; coaches or leaders should encourage previous participants to celebrate newcomers and show proof of tolerance.
  2. On the sideline: The other way of keeping refugees in sports activities is to mentor those who show leadership skills and training them to become peer coaches, coaches, and leaders; gender equality should be taken in consideration during the selection process.
  3. In the organization: It is always good to include displaced people in an organization to the extent of their capacities and benefit from their experiences.

Third, as in every sport for development programme, we foster social change; so the social impact of sport should be considered as in the process below:

  1. Play: They can all access the ball (or any other used material) and play according to rules of the game.
  2. Have fun: Sports for good is not about competition/winning, one of the reasons we play is to have fun. This will bring them positivity and hope.
  3. Potential questions for discussion: Coaches should ask questions related to the topic of the game - this can be conflict resolution/prevention, dealing with tough situation, problem-solving, peace, gender equality, financial empowerment, health and wellness, mental health, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health rights, etc. This discussion can play a major role in improving the mental health of participants.
  4. Detect skills: Some of the refugees can have most needed skills that can be honed so that the whole community can benefit from them; some of them will likely become good footballers, tennis players etc.

As an accredited coach in delivering purposeful plays to raise awareness on the 17th sustainable development goals, I met a family of refugees in Kalebuka, a village located 30 minutes from Lubumbashi in the South-East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I involved their two boys and one girl in our sport for development sessions; soon they found their way to acquiring literacy with other out-of-school youths; they quickly adapted to the local situation. Later on, we discovered that their mother is a good facilitator of catering and housekeeping; as a result, she was hired, and they can now live peacefully.

———————————————————————————————————————

Elvis Nshimba is an S4D accredited coach. He established Umoja Sport Foundation to work on the development of target communities by equipping students and out-of-school youth, as well as empowering women who have not previously had access to quality education.

Tags

Country
Congo - Kinshasa
Region
Africa
Sport
All sports
Sustainable Development Goals
10 – Reduced inequalities
Target Group
Displaced people

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