For the past year, the Fulham Refugee Kicks programme has been working in partnership with the Da’aro Youth project. The aim of the Da’aro Youth project charity is to provide young Refugees and asylum seekers from the horn of Africa a safe space to build their confidence and establish social networks in South London. They also provide aftercare to young refugees seeking legal advice or wellbeing support.
Fulham Refugee Kicks provide a weekly indoor football session at Da’aro’s ‘Injera Club’ on Tuesday evenings. At Injera Club, young people are invited to socialise with others, play games, pool, table tennis, football and to enjoy a home-cooked traditional meal.
Yorsalem Feseha, a former volunteer turned full time case worker at Da’aro, said: “There are young people that attend the club who may have arrived in the UK without friends or family, so this is a safe space for them to cultivate friendships. Many young people we work with have faced many traumatic circumstances through the journey they have taken to arrive here. Injera Club offers them an outlet to express themselves in therapeutic ways.”
Mikel Woldu, a volunteer at the club, added: “I am second generation refugee myself, so to see a space for young refugees to feel seen and heard, away from the rhetoric about immigration, is amazing to see.”
Fulham FC Foundation Youth Engagement Officer, Jon Langtree, explained the value of the partnership: “Da’aro Youth Project is a prime example of a community coming together and taking action for the betterment of others. Since beginning the partnership last year, I have been inspired by the compassion and dedication the staff and volunteers at Injera Club show to young people who are very much in need of support. I am incredibly proud of the partnership we share as two charities and look forward to many more years together!”
