Beyond Sport

Award Entered:
Sport for Conflict Resolution Award
Parent Organisation:
Play31
Project Host Nation:
Sierra Leone
Overview of Project:
Sierra Leone suffered one of the most brutal civil wars in recent history, leaving the country torn apart. Brother turned on brother and young men were forced to kill elders and rape women. The social fabric of this traditional country was destroyed. Although The Special Court for Sierra Leone and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission both did a good job in promoting transitional justice, little has been done to facilitate and carry out actual reconciliation at a micro-level among the people who suffered the most. The war left in its aftermath extreme poverty and underdevelopment and there are scores of challenges facing the country today. While political solutions are needed, these challenges are remarkably difficult to tackle in the absence of a pervasive culture of unity and tolerance. How can citizens form a productive work force, gain trust in their politicians and the rule of law, or make strides as a country if they haven’t yet recovered from the wounds of war and addressed the traumas it left? By organizing community tournaments, social gatherings, and peace workshops, we bring together and educate people who have lived through the civil war, thus facilitating a process of people coming together across divides. Our program promotes reconciliation and contributes to the development of a peaceful and tolerant society.

and the winner is....play31!! Woohooo

Thanks for writing such an easy-to-understand arctile on this topic.

This is a great organization and hope it wins the award!! Good luck!

Beyond Sport: Utilising the power of sport to help the lives of others.