The International Organization for Migration (IOM), and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency launched The Ball Has No Flags initiative, focused on promoting the well-being of children and youth in communities in Perú with high concentrations of refugees and migrants.
The objective is to strengthen values such as resilience, integration and community cohesion through Latin America’s most popular sport: football.
In this first stage, the project is being developed in the districts of San Juan de Lurigancho and San Juan de Miraflores, both located in Lima, Perú’s capital.
IOM Perú Programme Coordinator, Rogelio Quintero explained: “The proper integration of girls, boys and adolescents always contributes to the future of a country. Sport is characterized by bringing people together regardless of conditions or flags. For this reason, The Ball Has No Flags will support the integration and development of strengths and abilities.”
Through sport, Quintero added, about 200 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years old – mostly Peruvian or Venezuelan – learn leadership and cooperation through the prism of equality and inclusion.
The activity is supported by the Fútbol Más Foundation, an organization that promotes community cohesion through play and sport as well as the well-being of children and youth.
Federico Agusti, UNHCR Representative in Perú, said, “Football is the same anywhere in the world. It has the same rules, the same language and the same joys. It is a refuge for those who have had to leave everything and a meeting point to celebrate something we all understand, a goal. There are more than 30 Peruvians playing abroad, including Paolo Guerrero, and when he scores for Perú or Brazil, there are no differences, we celebrate the same. This project allows Peruvians and Venezuelans to start from a common point to learn to take advantage of their differences.”
The Ball Has No Flags project is part of the integration and solidarity campaign between Peruvians and Venezuelans known as Tu Causa Es Mi Causa. That campaign has been implemented by the UN System in Perú, with the leadership of IOM and UNHCR.
Original source: IOM
Published on 27 August 2019
