<\/p>\n
With the relative stability brought in by the Revitalized Peace Agreement of 2018 peace, Yei River county has seen an upsurge in voluntary returns of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who need an open yet protected outdoor area to assemble, conduct peace meetings, and converge for sports and cultural activities.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
There is a subtext to this: The community itself wants to promote unity, enhance peaceful coexistence and contribute towards building a lasting, inclusive peace.<\/p>\n
When apprised of their needs, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), responded immediately, by constructing a perimeter wall around the local football field in the Yei Freedom Square, the heart of the town, so to speak.<\/p>\n
Peacekeepers didn\u2019t stop there. They also built six permanent locker rooms for football players and toilets for men and women adjacent to the pitch.<\/p>\n
Funding for this project was generated through the UN Peacekeeping mission\u2019s Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) programme, which are small-scale, low-budget interventions designed to meet urgent community needs.<\/p>\n
The project and its impact remain fresh in the minds of beneficiaries as well as of\u00a0Lauro Ohiyu, a\u00a0Protection, Transition and Reintegration Office from UNMISS working in Central Equatoria state.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know the power of sports in enhancing team spirit, unity in diversity and peacebuilding,\u201d revealed Lauro.<\/p>\n
\u201cPromoting reconciliation and coexistence across South Sudan as it prepares for elections is an important objective for UNMISS and I believe that, with this project, we have managed to achieve that end in a very concrete way,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe managed to create a secure space for youth and the larger community to congregate, be it for a football tournament, a community dialogue, or a cultural event. When communities come together it helps promote peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation, thereby encouraging more returns.\u201d<\/p>\n
John Kenyi Santino, Secretary of Yei Local Football Association (YLFA) echoed Lauro\u2019s sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you enter a stadium to watch a game, you become part of one big, happy family. We know no\u00a0race, colour, or region here \u2013 you only come to cheer your team on, be happy and heal trauma caused by years of conflict,\u201d said Mr. Santino passionately.<\/p>\n
Local sportspersons faced hard times before UNMISS stepped in to support them.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople were using the pitch as a walkway; even during games, people were riding bicycles and motorbikes across the field,\u201d\u00a0revealed Mr Santino.<\/p>\n
Thanks to UNMISS, a solution has been found: \u201cWe now screen fans at the gate and refuse access to anybody carrying weapons to ensure safety for players and spectators alike,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cImproving the standard of football also means improving talents of players, and the more their talents are developed, they stand to gain better chances of becoming international sportspeople,\u201d said James Yata Ambrose, Secretary of the Yei United Football Club.<\/p>\n
Mr. Santino agreed. \u201cSports make good business sense and is a viable career option for young people,\u201d he stated. \u201cOnce we have a sustainable peace, we must make every effort to develop our athletes,\u201d he averred.<\/p>\n
The 24 football clubs which constitute the Yei Football Association are drawn from different ethnicities and regions across the country, including Equatoria, Upper Nile and Bahr El-Ghazal.<\/p>\n
The project was spearheaded by local implementing partner Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, CEPO, last year.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n