Media Contact:
Jayson Repko
310-694-1121
JaysonRepko@gmail.com
10/2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES – Darfur United Soccer Academy, (DUSA) the first comprehensive sports program for Darfuri girls and boys in the refugee camps along the Chad-Sudan border, of Central and Northern Africa continues its groundbreaking work as they set to launch the third-ever Darfur United Soccer Academy next month.  The Darfur United initiative will launch the latest Academy in refugee camp Goz Amer. It will reach over 2,000 girls and boys and hire two men and two women coachesm from the camp to oversee daily operations. Darfur United is a project of Hermosa Beach-based international humanitarian aid organization iACT. Founded in 2005, the organization also supports the Darfur United Men’s Team who has been invited to participate in the 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup in Abkahzia.

In order to open the third Academy, iACT immediately needs to raise $10,000. They’ve recently launched an online fundraising campaign in order to reach their goal in the next two weeks.

Individuals who wish to donate or contribute to this innovative humanitarian initiative, can do so by visiting: http://bit.ly/DUSA3 Benefactors can donate a custom amount or select from a list of gift options which range from $100 – $5,000.

DU Coach Ambassador Bridget Grant will join iACT’s 22nd trip to the refugee camps in Eastern Chad and serve as coach and key advisor to the Darfuri people in the establishment of the newest academy.  Bridget will be advised by DU Coach Ambassador Rachael Rapinoe, who opened Darfur United’s first two academies in refugee camps Djabal and Touloum.  Like the previous two Academies, the curriculum is completed in collaboration with the refugee community and is implemented by trained men and women refugee coaches. Through DUSA, men and women become leaders in their community, and children and youth are provided a safe place to participate in a healthy activity with their peers.

Each camp Academy hires two male and two female coaches based on their ability to provide strength-based coaching, their skillfulness on the ball, and their dedication to fostering growth, leadership, and skills in each Academy player. These coaches build a rotating daily schedule that provides daily skill drills, team building activities, small sided games, and a mindfulness and peacebuilding curriculum for 2,000 refugee girls and boys. DUSA is also the first to provide the opportunity for girls in the camps to play soccer.

About Darfur United Soccer Academy is a movement for hope. The Academy is the first comprehensive sports program for Darfuri girls and boys in the refugee camps along the Chad-Sudan border. Each Academy is co-created with the refugee community and implemented by trained men and women refugee coaches. DUSA objectives are to promote leadership, health, equality, and education. DUSA also serves as a way to connect the refugee children and youth with soccer players and clubs across the U.S. and globally; a vital connection for a group of people who feel isolated and forgotten.

About iACT is a Los Angeles-based organization providing humanitarian action to aid, empower, and extend hope to those affected by mass atrocities, creating a world where people are connected and equipped to act.  Through responsive action campaigns and leadership development in the U.S., we provide tools and training necessary to create a new culture of participation for people facing and responding to humanitarian crises. iACT utilizes innovative thinking, human-centered design, and collaborative relationships to co-create replicable and cost-effective programs in refugee camps. Since 2005, iACT has facilitated refugee-led education, sports, and human rights programs that build resilience and cultivate recovery in refugee camps in eastern Chad.

For more information: www.iactivism.org and www.darfurunited.com

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