“We came from war, our
mentality was destroyed and so when these activities started, we helped lift
spirits,” said football coach and trainer Mariam Al-Shaabin at the Zaatari camp
in a phone interview with Jordan News.
اضافة اعلان
A Syrian refugee herself,
Mariam enrolled in the camp’s incentive-based volunteering scheme (IBV), a
program designed to encourage self-sufficiency among refugees, and took part in
a number of training courses on the topic.
“We try to ease from the
pressures of life and the mental stress,” Shaabin said. “We encourage
collaboration and teamwork between people; they start getting along, caring for
each other… they start to feel like they belong.”
Zaatari hosts about 80,000
refugees, over half of which are under 18 years old, explained UNHCR external
relations officer Mohamed Al-Taher.
“They need activities to fill their time; many of them
need to release their energy and take up a hobby,” said Taher. “These
activities break barriers between them because sports are a universal
language.”
Covering camp
coordination, the
UNHCR runs 58 community centers in the camp, some of which
are dedicated to sports.
“Prior to COVID, the
centers announced the activities they are organizing, such as football leagues,
and open registration for those who want to take part,” said Taher. “They are
then grouped together, teams are formed and competitions are organized.”
Following the onset of
COVID,
many of the centers adapted their programs and organized remote practices, he
added.
“We were among the first
programs to adapt our activities to online,” said Siraj Al-Hmoud, senior camp
manager with Blumont, an executive partner with the UNHCR, who run several sports
and recreational activities within the camp.
“We are in communication
with our beneficiaries to practice from home through groups such as WhatsApp
and teams, offered them internet bundles and provided some of them with smart
devices so they can stay connected with us.”
Shaabin described sending
videos of the trainings, information and health guidance to the women she
trains throughout the COVID period. “They began to call me asking when the
activities will resume, they want to go back to the gym and the fields,” she
said. “Now we communicate over the phone; they are open to this especially
after being stuck at home.”
In the last five years,
over 3,000 beneficiaries benefitted from the sports programs offered by their
program, said Hmoud. These include football, basketball, volleyball, kickball,
cheerleading and kickboxing.
“Our target is to work
with 50 percent females and the other half is males,” said Hmoud. “We try to
include everyone in our sports activities, and we even have an open age group.”
In addition to activities
within the camp, through support from a number of partners, some refugees are
given the opportunity to participate in local and global competitions. For
example, a group recently participated in a marathon with Run Jordan.
"From the beginning,
we saw that the refugees are receptive to these sports activities and they have
passion in wanting to participate in competitions,” Hmoud explained. “This
impacts the mental health of the refugees; sports are an outlet for these young
people.”
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