UNHCR & ANTA Group Empower Displaced Youth Through Sports & Education
October 20, 2023
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and Chinese global sportswear company, ANTA Group, have announced a new global partnership focused on empowering displaced children and youth. Called ‘Moving for Change’, the program will improve sports and education for displaced young people in Malaysia, Thailand, Burundi and more countries across the globe.
According to a UNHCR report, a staggering 110 million people have been forced to flee their homes worldwide. This figure is the highest since World War II. From the war in Ukraine to the ongoing conflict in Syria, climate disasters and more – global instability is increasing. At the end of 2022, the number of displaced people globally was at 108 million, rising to 110 million in just the first few months of 2023.
This new three-year partnership focuses on the power of sports and education. Moving for Change will support UNHCR’s existing education and sports programming through an in-kind and cash donation. The donation will improve access to primary education, sports, teaching and learning resources, as well as enhance child wellbeing and resilience. The program intends to reach 300,000 children and youth who have been affected by displacement across the world by 2025.
Sport has many benefits and can positively impact all people from all backgrounds. UNHCR state that organized and developmental sports activities can help normalize young lives disrupted by conflict and forced displacement. They offer opportunities for better inclusion and protection to help young people heal, develop and grow. Sport can also empower refugee communities and help forge closer ties with the communities that host them.
This effort builds on the commitment of UNHCR’s Sport Strategy (2022-26), which highlights sport as more than just a game, showing its potential to be transformational and create new opportunities. It showcases five focus areas – one of which focuses on the implementation of sport- and play-based activities with the aim of improving psychosocial wellbeing, strengthening refugee and displaced communities and providing opportunities for traditionally marginalized groups such as women and girls.
Over the past 16 years, ANTA has donated more than 2.2 billion Chinese yuan to philanthropic programs and humanitarian aid. This venture is the organization’s first global corporate social responsibility initiative. “ANTA Group is proud to partner with UNHCR to bring the power and joy of sports and education to displaced children and young people around the world,” said Mr. Lai Shixian, Executive Director and Co-CEO of ANTA Group. “We look forward to playing a part in realizing sustainable development through enabling quality education and equal opportunities for vulnerable children and youth.”
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is the Strategic Support of the Sport Together Fund delivered by Beyond Sport. The Fund supports non-profit organizations, sports clubs and collectives that are providing vital aid to those facing conflict, displacement, human rights violations and climate change disasters. Learn more.