Darfur United Soccer Academy
This project's parent organization is i-ACT
It operates in Chad
It uses Football (Soccer)
Winner of the Sport For Social Inclusion Award
More about Darfur United Soccer Academy
Since 2003, approximately 300,000 Darfuri refugees have been living in twelve camps in eastern Chad. They continue to experience trauma and loss, with a generation of children born into an environment of little hope.
Programs deemed “nonessential” - including sports programs, physical activity and psychosocial support for children - by the United Nations and existing NGOs are not supported in the camps.
The children and youth of Darfur are the most vulnerable. The average length of time refugees are displaced is 17 years - a lifetime for those displaced as young children or born during displacement. According to a UN study on children in war, "The physical, sexual and emotional violence to which they [children] are exposed shatters their world.” Traumatized and homeless, they see little hope for the future, affecting their school attendance and ability to learn.
Based on years of visiting the camps, working and engaging directly with the refugee community, a soccer program for children was a direct request from leaders, parents and youth in the camps. One that addresses trauma, education, peace building, social integration, and gender inequality for their children.