FROM THE FIELD: Finding refuge in the ‘beautiful game’
Migrants and Refugees
Teenage refugees from East Africa have discovered that participating in the ‘beautiful game’ as football is often referred to, can level the playing field and help them to integrate into new homes and new cultures.
The teenagers are part of a team based in Utah in the United States. Their participation in the sport allows them to meet other Americans helping them to make friends and integrate into their new communities.
According to the UN migration agency, IOM, there are currently over 65 million refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people around the world.
The power of football or soccer to inspire and unite people globally is due to be played out in the World Cup which begins in Russia on Thursday.
The host of the “A Way Home Together,” a podcast which was inspired by a UN campaign to promote safety, dignity and respect for refugees and migrants travelled to Utah to speak to the young men.
For more click here: http://features.iom.int/stories/true-colours/’