Humanitarian

Tragedy strikes, and we see it on the news every day - famine and starvation grip entire communities throughout Africa, wars rage for power and control in the Middle East, and tsunamis in Asia take millions of lives without warning. Some are able to flee these unthinkable circumstances, looking for respite as refugees in a new community or living in camps as internally-displaced persons, or IDPs, in their own countries. Others are forced to remain in the midst of the tragedy and danger. No matter their circumstance, they all exist in "survival mode," desperately struggling to satisfy their basic needs, and even something as simple as a game of pick-up basketball can bring hope and purpose back to their lives.

Sports is the rallying point – it brings people together for fun and recreation, serving as a medium for teaching about exercise and physical health. But for many of our humanitarian projects, it serves an even greater purpose. We can help a community ravaged by flood and famine by giving their children and youth recreational sports, just like we do in Pakistan’s IDP camps. We can hold exhibition games to provide respite for victims of natural disaster like the 2003 earthquake in Iran or Myanmar’s cyclone in 2008. We can teach children from refugee camps to rural Chinese orphanages the importance of hygiene with our “Clean Hands. Clean Game.” initiatives. And we do, because we know that lives really can be changed, and saved, through sport.