Refugee Project to Raise Funds with Jersey Sales

May 24, 2019

This week marks the official launch of KLABU — meaning “club” in Swahili — a non-profit initiative aimed at empowering young refugees around the globe through sport.

KLABU built its first refugee settlement in Kalobeyei, northern Kenya, earlier this year. The settlement serves as a sports club that not only provides the people living there with facilities, sports equipment, and clothing, but also an essential meeting point for uniting communities and restoring lives destroyed by war or persecution.

With 25.4 million refugees around the world — a record high since World War II — KLABU is raising funds in order to reach its goal of creating 10 new clubs in the next five years, and reaching 100,000 refugees as a result.

Therefore, alongside its official launch, KLABU has revealed the “Kalobeyei Spirit” football kit. The kit lands in two varieties — home, in turquoise and orange, and away, in pink and purple — and is available to purchase online now.

The piece was designed alongside those residing in Kalobeyei and features a badge that symbolizes safety, protection, and unity.

KLABU founder Jan van Hövell, explained, “When we started KLABU, we couldn’t have dreamed so many would join to make it work. All of us united in a common goal – to support refugees – through a common passion for sports. Although sports cannot solve all challenges refugees face, they do bring people together and can ultimately make ‘away’ feel more like ‘home.’”