IOM and UNHCR promote diversity and integration through soccer
IOM and the United Nations High Commis sioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in collaboration with the African Diaspora Forum (ADF) and the Randfontein Municipality held the first round of the SA Township Soccer Challenge on Saturday 22nd of May 2010.
Also present to grace the occasion was the Community team from Liverpool FC in England, who played a fun game with local referees during half time. The objective of their visit was to share their experiences and skills with the locals while promoting integration and diversity, which were key to their winning the 2005 Champions League trophy with a squad that consisted of 10 different nationalities. .
The tournament forms part of IOM’s ‘One Movement’ campaign, an initiative created to support the South African Government following the May 2008 attacks which left 62 people dead and hundreds displaced in the townships. The ‘One Movement’ campaign aims to tackle the societal, racial and ethnic tensions that give rise to discriminatory practices by promoting a culture of tolerance and unity in diversity through sports. The tournament works to build an integrated society that is free of xenophobia and all kinds of discrimination.
The pilot project involves eight township soccer teams from Gauteng* which are all comprised of different nationalities including South Africans, and were selected due to their experiences with xenophobia and service-delivery protests in the recent past.
This tournament taps into the current soccer fever which has gripped South Africa, host country of the 2010 World Cup, and will set the tone for building social cohesion and for further integration activities by the government and other stakeholders. Community discussions and dissemination of information materials to challenge discrimination and promote a culture of tolerance and co-existence are part of the strategy to promote tolerance for migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in South Africa.
The tournament will culminate in finals on June 5th 2010 where the winning team will receive a cash prize of 20,000 Rands and a grant of 80,000 Rands to put towards a community development project of the winning township. This will allow both migrants and locals to add value to their community.
* The teams are from Atteridgeville, Tembisa, Khutsong, Sharpeville, Kagiso, Randfontein (Mohlakeng), Mamelodi and Orlando-East
For more information contact: Maureen Lifongo at IOM Pretoria, Tel: +2712 342 2789, Email:
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