Uganda. #Football4Peace, the initiative to promote peaceful coexistence among youth in Omugo Refugee Settlement

Date 03.05.2019

The initiative, launched thanks to the partnership between AVSI Foundation and the Onduparaka Football Club, will be an occasion for children and youth in Omugo and Palabek refugees’ settlements to undertake sports activities while cooperating for a peaceful coexistence.

The three-year project #Football4Peace kicked off on May 3rd and it will start with two weeks of soccer training sessions at the AVSI Youth Center in Omugo. Young people in Omugo and Palabek Settlements will be trained in soccer techniques by professional coaches, using sports as a vehicle to educate and inspire youth.

This community partnership brings together traditional and non-traditional soccer activities and environments, giving innovatively the opportunity for social inclusion. Sports activities are used as a tool to promote the peaceful coexistence among youth of different tribes and nationalities that live side by side in these refugees’ camps.

In the framework of this project, AVSI has established a multifunctional youth center in Omugo to include and educate youth on different themes, from sports to nutrition, life skills and community dialogues. Another innovative way to reach the communities that live in Arua District, where AVSI is already present.