AC MILAN & UNHCR LAUNCH THERAPY PROGRAM IN NIGER
April 19, 2019
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Fondazione Milan, the official Foundation of Italian soccer club AC Milan, have joined forces for a ''Sport as Therapy'' project which will allow refugees evacuated from Libya to Niger to use sport to help them overcome the traumatic experiences they have endured as migrants.
Funds will support the creation of a football pitch with stands, a basketball court and a volleyball and handball court at a recreational and sports center under construction in Niamey, Niger.
The project's beneficiaries are mainly refugees from the Horn of Africa evacuated by the UN agency from Libyan detention centers. These vulnerable people, mostly young, have endured violence and torture resulting in deep trauma. The project aims to help them socialize and regain confidence and self-esteem through sport.
"Fondazione Milan has been one of our main donors for almost 10 years," said Laura Lucci, Director of UNHCR Italia Fundraising. ''The commitment of Fondazione Milan has positively impacted the lives of thousands of refugees, especially children."
Since the end of 2017, Niger has cooperated with UNHCR in the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM), a program that provides life-saving assistance through the temporary evacuation of refugees from Libyan detention centers before they are resettled to third countries.
Over 3,000 people have so far been evacuated from Libya, including more than 2,600 who have been relocated to Niger. Fondazione Milan has supported UNHCR efforts since the summer of 2010 and from 2014-2015, they funded an important sport-related project dedicated to Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and in 2016 it enabled 90 of them to access schooling.
"Sport expresses its highest values when it leads young people to get together and smile," said Paolo Scaroni, chairman of Fondazione Milan. ''With a football pitch or a basketball court, we can help those left behind. This methodology is at the heart of the activities of Fondazione Milan to develop concrete initiatives in which sport generates well-being, equality and social inclusion."