Gua Africa in conjunction with community leaders from Kakuma Refugee camp organised a 16-team tournament, between members of 16 South Sudanese counties currently living in the refugee camp in North-West Kenya.
Kakuma Refugee Camp currently has a population of nearly 200,000 refugees, 80% of which come from neighbouring South Sudan and with most of the population being youth.
The conflict in South Sudan has been Africa’s longest running civil war, and as a result many young people are born in Kakuma refugee camp with the average stay being 16 years. Most youth struggle with lack of education and are fed on rations and rely on aid. This leads to conflict amongst young men, with causes divides between ethnicities, tribes and backgrounds. Education, wellbeing, arts and sports programming is essential in keeping young people active and supporting them with drive and purpose.
The concept for this event came from the community leaders in the camp and organisation for this tournament started in January 2023. The tournament consisted of four rounds – finalising in a tense penalty shoot-out at the finals on Monday, 17th April, 2023.
The common goal was peace, unity and allyship and the impact of this exceeded our expectations. Everyone was encouraged by the unity and peace promoted and excited that the tournament was organised by a high-profile artist and activist (Emmanuel Jal) from their community. It showed the importance of good leadership amongst their peers and the impact of being a good role model.
Since 2019 we have worked closely with the South Sudanese community living in Kakuma Refugee Camp – supporting them with the creation, building works and programming of a community space called Gatwitch Hub. This physical hub, in Kakuma 4 is run by prominent community leaders from the camp and is supported by our Kenyan liaison officer, Irene Tunya and our programs manager from Kakuma, Imoit Ekuwam, who has extensive professional experience with refugee led programs in Kakuma camp for over 20 years. Imoit helped us secure the correct permits and security from local police and RAS to ensure the tournament was run efficiently and safely for all players and spectators.
The football tournament was one of the safest Sports events the refugee camp has ever seen. It showed a level of sportsmanship between counties, which has been difficult to achieve to date. These communities are fighting back in South Sudan and these conflicts can overspill into the camp, especially among young men who don’t have an outlet for their energies and dreams.
The tournament supported and involved 200 players, nearly 50 community leaders and thousands of spectators.
