“Peace and Sport puts sport and its structuring values at the heart of development projects led within communities in crisis around the world. With interventions in areas of post-conflict, extreme poverty or lacking social cohesion, Peace and Sport makes sport a vehicle for tolerance, respect, sharing and citizenship at the service of sustainable peace.”

The earthquake in Haiti was certainly a situation that required the help of Peace and Sport, and this leading NGO has, as expected, come through. We highlight in two postings Peace and Sport’s efforts in the areas of solicitation of equipment, management of efforts, and the monitoring of progress.

The full March 8 press release can be found by clicking SOLIDARITY THROUGH SPORT FOR HAITI_ENG, with key excerpts below.

(Excerpts)

The Launch of “Sport Solidarity for Haiti”; An Appeal for Action
Peace and Sport has been commissioned by the Haitian Olympic Committee with the backing of the Haitian Government to support two major missions and give it the means to act.

1. CAMPS FOR THE FUTURE: a program to supervise 50,000 young people through daily socio-educational sports activities with psychosocial support in selected camps. Children will be able to learn many sports (football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, badminton, rugby, chess …) and practice them every day, thanks to the involvement of 200 Haitian educators. The structured playing of sport will facilitate their reintegration and return to normal life in society.

2. DIGNITY FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IN DISPLACED PERSONS CAMPS: a program to combat violence and discrimination against young women in these camps, through sports and educational activities.

To do this, collecting sports equipment is the number one priority. The objective is to collect footballs, taekwondo kimonos and judo suits, handball balls, basketballs, rugby balls, gym mats, volleyballs, badminton kits, tennis kits, athletics equipment (hurdles, markers, long jump boards), whistles, stopwatches and board games.

Peace and Sport has set up a coordination unit to solicit international stakeholders and centralize pledges. It will also have the task of sending equipment donations to Haiti and monitoring their use in response to specific needs in identified programs, with complete transparency.

THE FIRST PLEDGES
Two International Sports Federations have already given their support. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), both partners of Peace and Sport, will respectively send 500 chess games and 50 table tennis kits to Haiti. These first donations will enable organized sports activities in the camps to start immediately.

Coordination cell for Haiti – Contact details: Sylvain Heraud, haiti@peace-sport.org, +377 97 97 7800