IOC And UNHCR Team Up to Help Young Refugees in Namibia

[ZIRC]

GENEVA, 8 DECEMBER, 2010: As part of its initiatives to promote sport as an agent for social change, the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) teamed up with the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) this week to launch an ambitious
three-year Sport and Education programme for young people in the Osire
refugee settlement in Namibia.

Some 8,500 people currently live in the settlement, 40 percent of whom are between the ages of 10 and 30. The programme is designed to get this
group more involved in organised sport in an effort to alleviate some
of the major problems affecting young people in Osire, namely teenage
pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, and substance
abuse.

By linking the sporting activity to educational programs on topics such as sexual and reproductive health and computer classes, the IOC and
UNHCR are looking to provide the young people with meaningful
recreational activities and the necessary tools to make informed
decisions in life.

At a ceremony marking the launch of the programme in Osire on Tuesday, Namibian athletics star and IOC member Frankie Fredericks said, "Our
work here is to provide hope to the young people of this settlement. If
they are given more opportunities to dream, they will have more reasons
to pursue them and make them a reality. Sport may not always seem as
significant as other forms of aid, but it can have a considerable
positive impact on lives."

A major facet of the programme is to empower young women, and as such the goal will be to increase female participation in the sporting and
educational activities. Sports equipment for women and girls will be
provided to help encourage their participation, and domestic leagues
will be set up to create greater opportunities for the athletes.

The IOC will oversee the sporting aspect of the programme and will provide equipment and a minibus to transport the teams, while funding
training for coaches, organisers and coordinators.

The vast majority of the refugees in Osire originate from Angola, with others coming from the Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and 19 other
African countries.

With many of the refugees having no other choice than to stay in the Osire settlement for several years, the community faces a range of
socio-economic and psychological challenges. Limited employment and
higher education opportunities lead to feelings of frustration and
despair, especially among the many young people living there.

The IOC is a long-time supporter and partner of the work undertaken by the United Nations, and last year the IOC became only the fifth
international organisation to receive official observer status at the
United Nations.

- Bernama

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