Refugee children learn and grow through playing sports in Mahama camp

Daniella doesn’t remember much about her family’s life growing up in Burundi. She only knows that she and her family had to flee their home in 2015 when violence broke out in their country. She was only five years old.

Settled in Mahama refugee camp since then, Daniella, now aged 12, grew up with a passion for sports, not only for the sake of physical exercise but also as a way of making new friends.

Daniella, currently going to Paysannat school near the camp, initially started playing volleyball at the school, but also started learning how to play basketball two years ago.

“It’s very amazing when I see people playing,” Daniella says. “When I am playing, I get to meet many people and we become friends. Since I started playing, I made so many new friends.”

She plays volleyball at school and basketball at the camp.

“Playing sports at school helps me stay focused and perform well,” she explains. “After playing in the camp, I go back home, and I feel relaxed.”

Daniella was the 5^th best performer in her class last term, she says, adding that she wants to perform even better next term.

Refugee and Rwandan children in Mahama sit side by side in the classroom and have access to sports facilities and mentorship opportunities, thanks to the partnership between UNHCR and Educate A Child (EAC), a global programme of the Education Above All Foundation (EAA).

Since 2020, this joint partnership has helped upgrade some of the sports grounds and build new ones in the school premises. Sports equipment was also purchased, and youth trained to become certified Youth Sports Facilitators to help integrate Sport for Protection activities in school.

Astere, 29, is a Burundian refugee and one of the Youth Sports Facilitators in Mahama camp. Like Daniella, he believes that sport is more than leisure for refugee youth. It helps restore a sense of normalcy.

“When you’re forced to flee, you leave everything behind. It is a very difficult journey,” he explains. “People are distressed, hopeless, exposed to many harmful practices.”

Astere helps other young refugees through experiences which can help them process everything they have been through.

Having fled to Rwanda in 2015 at 21, Astere came alone and reunited with his brothers and sisters later in the camp. He believes that the difficult situation he went through puts him in a better position to help fellow youth refugees through sport.

“After arriving here in the camp, I spent about a month just staying at home feeling lonely. I was traumatized,” he recalls. “Eventually, I volunteered to organize a campaign to combat negative coping mechanisms through sports. Thanks to sports, I made new friends and learned to cope with the new living conditions.”

Astere explains he has clearly seen the power of sports to help build resilience, leadership, and teamwork among the refugee community. “On the pitch, players do everything together.”

With more access to sports facilities and equipment in all refugee settings across the country, UNHCR and EAC hope to continue assisting children like Daniela so that they can play, learn, grow, and develop in a nurturing environment that enhances their education. The agency is also committed to helping develop the skills of refugee youth and coaches like Astere, too.