Photo credit: UNHCR
The FIFA World Cup has started, and billions of people around the world will tune in to watch the beautiful game.
The UNHCR Canada reports that for many refugees, soccer is more than a game.
Soccer can bring people together when everything else feels unfamiliar, creating connection, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
One person who understands this deeply is Jean Claude Munyezamu.
As a child growing up in Rwanda, Jean Claude learned to make soccer balls out of plastic bags. Years later, after fleeing conflict and arriving a refugee camp in Kenya, he found himself surrounded by children whose languages he didn’t speak.
So he started making soccer balls. Jean Claude never forgot what soccer made possible.
When he arrived in Canada as a refugee in 1998, he recognized many of the same challenges he once faced. Young people felt isolated, struggled with language barriers, and often did not know where they belonged. He also saw their potential.
So, he started small. In a neighbourhood park in Calgary, children set up their own fields and invited one another to play. What began as “Saturday Soccer” grew into Soccer Without Boundaries, now part of Umoja Community Mosaic. Today, it brings together hundreds of young people from more than 50 countries, many of them former participants who have returned as mentors, coaches, and leaders.
Jean Claude measures soccer differently. “The goal was not mining talent,” he says. “It was creating belonging.” Whether a child plays, coaches, or simply shows up, there is a place for them.
With World Cup matches taking place here in Canada, he sees a powerful moment for the youth in his program.
