It is not just to kick a ball. It is respect for the rules, loyalty to the opponent, teamwork. It is the inclusion of new companions. It is suffering for the result. That is why a football tournament is also among the psychosocial activities we run to support people who fled from Rakhine here at Cox’s Bazar.

Football is highly loved by the community, and played with every weather condition. At Burma Para, Camp 13, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, with support of Danish Red Cross, run a Community Based Psychosocial Support Program in the DAPS center, where one of the activities is football tournament for boys.

Even under the rain the players love the mud version of the game and a crowd of spectators spontaneously is collected at the edge of the field. However, it is not only a recreational activity; it is not simply a game

The players after a brief session with their coach, perform the ritual of opening greetings to the adversaries, must respect the referee’s decisions and play following the rules. Among them, players of the host community and boys from the Rakhine in Myanmar are peer peers.

Therefore, we truly believe that football will help develop and hone such skills as focus, patience, health competitiveness. At least, while the match is on, anything looks as a normal morning in a normal village like everywhere.