Uganda Red Cross signs MOU with Everton FC to support the South Sudan refugee operation.
Uganda red cross society on Friday 23rd march 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Everton FC and other partners to support the South Sudan refugee operations in West Nile. The partners involved in the MOU included Everton in Community, the charity arm of top flight English premier league side Everton FC, Onduparaka FC, a local football club based in West Nile, Health Education England, University of Northampton, among others. These agreed to support the refugee community in West Nile by use of sports to meet the communities’ psychosocial needs.
“Majority of the refugees are women and young people who have lost their relatives and separated from their parents. They are psychologically tortured. Playing soccer helps to address their mental and psychological needs” said Mr. Robert Kwesiga the Secretary General Uganda Red Cross at the signing
Since the influx started in July 2016, humanitarian efforts have been directed towards this emergency response to ensure people have access to basic needs like water, shelter and food as well as urgent medical care. The humanitarian response is now moving to a phase of long term sustainable health care and livelihood support. The focus is to support the young people to rebuild their lives, and it is believed that football will see to this.
“I believe this MOU we’ve signed today is a start of a journey which has such profound impact within West Nile and also potential repercussions across the rest of the globe. I am amazed and privileged to be signing an MOU with the global historical leaders of refugee responders- the Red Cross. There is nothing that can overstate the impact they have had in terms of humanitarian aid” said Ged Byrne, the Director global engagement Health Education UK
Everton FC is an English premiership team and it hosts Everton in the Community which uses sport to enhance the wellbeing of local and the vulnerable global community through the use of a comprehensive variety of sporting and social opportunities provided on a local, national and international scale.
“As a premier league club, we take matters of social conscious quite seriously since we are built on society as a club and referred to as a ‘peoples club’. We just want to use football principally to identify the needs around the globe within refugee communities. We are honored to be on this MOU signing with such esteemed colleagues and we are excited and looking forward to It.” said Jonathan Garside, the Health and wellbeing manager Everton FC
Uganda Red Cross will therefore provide the link between these partners and the refugee community by connecting the already ongoing professional psychosocial approach to the sport and yield much better results. Onduparaka FC being a local West Nile based football will give an opportunity to the refugee youths to play football with their club as part of fulfilling the expectations spelt out in this memorandum of Understanding.
