Our Bangladesh-based programme SPIRIT stands for Sport for Protection, Resilience, and Transformation. The programme is based in the Kurigram district and Dhaka slums, which are areas hugely affected by climate change. Through sport we’re focused on helping young displaced people in these regions overcome the many environmental challenges they face so they can shape a brighter future for themselves.
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, with devastating effects on the availability of water and food, and on its infrastructure.
This Olympic Refuge Foundation-funded programme focuses on the Kurigram district, a region in the north highly susceptible to events such as flooding, and the slums in the capital Dhaka, where a large number of inhabitants have been forcibly displaced from the northern districts by climate-induced disasters.
Many of the young people we help through the programme struggle to see the kind of future they may have, particularly with the effects of climate change so visible in their country. SPIRIT aims to lift their spirits through sport, and support them in gaining skills and knowledge that will help them feel empowered to make a difference and be more likely to achieve future employment.
The programme is delivered by Terre des Hommes Bangladesh, in cooperation with two local NGOs: SOLIDARITY and Breaking the Silence.
Their work involves sourcing playgrounds as well as potential coaches and training them so they can deliver sport safely to these vulnerable young people. Adolescent girls are a group we are trying to involve as much as possible, as they often don’t have the same opportunities as adolescent boys.
Through regular sports such as football, cricket or badminton, including tournaments, these young people get a chance to escape their worries but also learn skills such as leadership and teamwork. The teams on the ground arrange youth-led sessions to discuss the impact of climate change and sustainable ways for how they can change the situation locally. This proactive approach aims to have a positive effect on the mental health and well-being of the young people involved.
In addition, our delivery partners advocate for the young people with the government, private and non-government service providers to increase access to vocational training, and increase employment opportunities and support.
The Olympic Refuge Foundation is investing $1.57 million in this project over three years. Launched in early 2022, around 10,000 young people will be involved in activities and we aim to reach over 47,000 beneficiaries indirectly.