Program Background

The Ibdaa sports project was set up in 1999 with the formation of a men’s football team of mixed age from within Deheisheh refugee camp. There are currently male and female basketball and volleyball teams. Wherever possible each sport has a junior (14-15 years) and senior (18-20 years) team, which allows the players to develop their skills and ensures that the standards in the senior teams are very high,The teams are coached by groups of specialist volunteers from Deheisheh and the local area.

Participation in a team sport provides an excellent source of physical activity but can also help develop social skills and provide emotional support. Winning a match or competition engenders a sense of achievement, which is very important for children in a refugee camp, The sports project has a wide reach, more than 200 people from Deheisheh camp and the surrounding area now being involved with a team in some capacity; Nonetheless the project still faces many difficulties, including a lack of dedicated facilities in Deheisheh camp and financial constraints, as well as the non-professional status of the teams, which requires all practice and matches to be scheduled around work and family commitments.