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Donors Vs Refugees in a soccer (football) game at the Gihembe Refugee camp

DCM Jessica Lapenn in the middle with the team of the UNHCR and ARC that manage the camp

Donors and Partners Host Football Game for World Humanitarian Day

On August 21, 2012, the U.S. Embassy joins UNHCR and other donors in a soccer (football) game with refugees at the Gihembe Refugee camp, in honor of World Humanitarian Day. The Gihembe Refugee Camp football team, made up of young and talented players, won the game by a huge margin of 10 goals to 2 over the Donors and Partners team.

The Donors and Partners team was made up of players from the U.S. Embassy, UNHCR, the South African High Commission, the World Food Program (WFP), the American Refugee Committee (ARC), the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), African Humanitarian Action (AHA), CARE and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR).

The football game was played in celebration of the fourth annual “World Humanitarian Day,” which fell on Sunday, August 19, 2012 and honored the courage and commitment of the dedicated aid workers who devote their lives to serving their fellow human beings, regardless of who they are and where they are, often in extremely dangerous circumstances.

DCM Jessica Lapenn got also the opportunity to tour the Gihembe Refugee Camp and witnessed different services provided to the refugees by UNHCR and its implementing partners, including a health center supported by the American Refugee Committee (ARC), newly built dischargeable latrines, and a market in need of donor support.

After the game, UNHCR provided sports and recreation equipment to the refugees to build awareness around the importance of sports as a tool for healthy child development, as well as the wellbeing of their community and family.