Just Do It

This post might be one of the most important that I write. It is once again a plea for participation from people in the US and all over the world, to put their hands in and help make a difference for the children who are living and growing up in these refugee camps.

Today is World Refugee Day. It's a chance for the global population to recognize that ever present problem that exists in the world, and to bring the refugee population to the forefront of people's minds. The United States, when it comes to refugee resettlement and acceptance, is one of the most generous in the world, if not THE most generous. Each year the US accepts up to 70,000 refugees from around the globe who qualify for resettlement, a large number of people from the three camps here in Dadaab as well as Kakuma, the other camp in Kenya. They have set up programs for the refugees in the US. Programs that are not perfect, but that begin weaving the social fabric that the refugees will slowly incorporate into as the integrate into the US. The US has taken populations of refugees who have been literally REFUSED by every other absorbing country becuase other countries have decided that certain populations would just be too hard to integrate, or because they have their own prejudices and fears.

There have been few times in the recent months that I feel I could really feel good about the US, where I am from, and where I will continue to call home. This is one of those times.

Tomorrow, there is a new campaign being lauched called ninemillion.org. There are nine million refugee children (CHILDREN!!!!) in the world, many of whom have grown up in these camps and have known nothing different. In collaboration with Nike, Right to Play, and Microsoft, among others, UNHCR is launching a campaign that brings sports and education into the lives of these children. It is an attempt to introduce games and laughter into places that have known much more heartache and fear, in an attempt the give these kids a chance to see that there is more to life than the fighting they have fled from.

Nike has been one of the most vocal sponsors of this, with their belief that not only does sports give kids an outlet, it increases self image and inner strength, something that is often lacking. They are introducing the Nike ball, a special football (ahem, Soccer, I mean) that is made from much more durable material than regular footballs and that can withstand rougher terrain than the well manicured feilds that we are all used to. They are donating 40,000 of these balls to refugees all over the world, as well as volley ball uniforms for girls who are growing up in strict muslim societies that will give the girls coverage that is also duable, breathable, and athletic.

Some of you might laugh, and scoff at this idea that Nike, one of those companies that has been in the news before for their manufacturing issues could be at the helm of something like this. Scoff as you like, but know that this is going to improve, brighten, change the lives of as many children as people are willing to support.

There is not enough recognition of the refugee problem throughout the world. It is too easy to watch from the glow of the television and silently think how lucky we all are. But maybe it's time to spread that luck around to some people who are just as human, just as deserving, and just as necessary to the preservation of a people's history as every one of us.

Check out www.ninemillion.org and see what you think. This is all for the kids. For education. For hope. Just do it.