The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has hosted the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations Football Festival for internally displaced youth at the Lac Vert-Bulengo IDP camp in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hundreds of eager children from seven nearby displacement camps arrived, ready to participate in the football matches and cultural activities CAF had organized. For 12-year-old Kalala, the festival marked the first time he felt like a normal kid since conflict had forced him from his village.
Speaking ahead of the tournament CAF had outlined plans to bring hope to the hopeless.
“We want to give hope to those who might otherwise feel hopeless,” said CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba said on his arrival to DR Congo, adding that the festival is part of the CAN awareness initiative..
He joined by Congolese Association Football Federation (FECOFA) President Dieudonne Sambi at the one-day fun-filled event.
The objective of the football festival include;
- To use football as a vehicle for social inclusion and unity
- To draw the attention of the international community to the situation of children in the camps.
- To enhance communication with children and advocate for peace, social cohesion and peaceful cohabitation.
- To organize life skills training for children
- To provide training to educators and coaches in basic football techniques and life skills.
As a Legacy of the Festival, CAF will invest in hard-ground football pitches in the Displaced Camp as well as and Refugee Camp, goal posts and other vital equipment.
The event kicked-off with a Grassroot Football Festival for U12 Boys and Girls. This will be followed by U15 Boys and Girls Tournament and a Coaching Workshop.
In wrapping up, there will be a laying of a drainage system to ensure that local people will be able to use the field for years to come.
Guests will include former DR Congo coach, Florent Ibenge, former internationals Distel Zola and Tresor LuaLua as well as local figures who have risen to prominence in football.
Two other UN agencies, UNFPA and UNHCR and their partners are organising workshops on sexual and gender-based violence, which occurs on an alarming scale around the camps.
The festival in Goma will be followed later in January by a similar event in Kenya in Kakuma refugee camp.
