Not Your Typical Soccer Camp
In many Western countries, children who enjoy soccer have the choice to play the game at good venues, or (if they can afford to do so, and particularly in the United States) go to soccer camp for the summer.
However, one of the best things about soccer is that it can be played practically anywhere. It can be either an indoor or outdoor sport, and though professional competitions sponsored by poker online websites happen on huge fields, the space for an “ordinary” amateur game need not be very big. Furthermore, the equipment is very simple. One only needs a ball of roughly the same size and hardness of a standard soccer ball. In other words, even people in very disadvantaged areas can play a regular game of soccer, despite strained circumstances and limited resources.
A recent report by Netherlands Radio Worldwide handily illustrates this point. The report, dated this past January, details the story of several thousand refugees (mostly from Zimbabwe) in South Africa. These refugees are actually agricultural migrant workers and their families, who worked at a local farmers’ community. Unfortunately, the “local” members of the community drove these foreign workers out, and they soon had not recourse but to live in a refugee camp.
Needless to say, a refugee camp is not exactly the Hilton. Priority is understandably placed on accommodating as many people as possible without too much discomfort, rather than turning away masses of full tilt people in order to give great accommodations to just a few. The situation at the camp was crowded and depressing, particularly when compounded with what the migrants had endured at the hands of the locals.
The South African Red Cross understood that refugees need more than just the basics for keeping a body physically alive. Thus, the organization began to search for feasible, affordable means to boost camp morale. It soon hit up on the idea of getting the refugees to play soccer. Due to the abovementioned simplicity of the game, it was quite easy for the organization to set up simple soccer facilities. Soccer at the camp was set up for people of all ages, but the children seemed to benefit the most. Some of these children were little more than toddlers at the time. According to the report, camp morale improved considerably after the introduction of soccer facilities to the premises.
Of course, this anecdote is not just about the advantages of a game that requires little in the way of facilities and equipment. It is about how, in dire circumstances, human beings suffer emotionally as well as physically. When resources are scarce, it is all too easy to ignore the non-physical aspects of suffering and just focus on keeping people alive from day to day. However, it must not be forgotten that the soul also has needs. Both adults and children need time for PokerStars play, laughter, and bonding—especially when they live in a crisis situation. Of course, humanitarian organizations will have to be inventive in order to make the most of their limited funds in the face of what looks like bottomless need. However, it seems that the story of this particular camp offers a valuable model for similar facilities to follow. Sometimes, it is the very simple measures that end up making a huge difference.