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World Refugee Day, June 20, 2013
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World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations to honor the men, women, and children who have been forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, violence and conflict.
Did you know?
- According to the UN, there are 43.7 million forcibly displaced persons in the world today and 15.2 million refugees, 46% of whom are under the age of 18.
- More than 250,000 refugees have been welcomed to the U.S. over the last five years.
Did you know that more than 70% of Soccer Without Borders USA participants are refugees? Participants come from more than 30 distinct countries including Afghanistan, Burma/Myanmar, Iraq, Sudan, and Somalia, among others. These youth come to the U.S. with a wide range of language skills and formal education. They also come with huge hearts and a drive to define and achieve success under new conditions, new structures, and too often with little support.
These young people have all the potential in the world. At SWB Oakland Fatima (Liberia) and Yohannes (Eritrea)- pictured above- just graduated as valedictorian and salutatorian of their class at Oakland International High School. Next stop: University of California, Berkeley and Holy Names University!
This year on World Refugee Day, the OtterCares Foundation is matching all donations to SWB's fastest growing program: SWB Greeley-Fort Collins, Colorado. Double your impact and invest in the potential of these incredible young people.
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SWB USA was named to the Beyond Sport Shortlist in the category of Sport for Social Inclusion
SWB Baltimore featured by Baltimore Magazine in a great piece called "Safety Net"
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Thank you and welcome back to the 2012-2013 International Team Leaders!
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Granada, Nicaragua
Mady Hernandez and Kelly Pope
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|  Kampala, Uganda
Katy Nagy, Sara Chehrehsa, and Jean-Christophe Moran
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