About | KLABU

believe that sport can be the most positive force on earth

Ourmission

To support refugees rebuilding their lives through the power of sport.

Hello, we are KLABU 👋🏼 The sports club changing the playing field for refugees.

We build clubhouses in refugee camps and cities which give refugees the tools to find joy, pride and hope in the practice of sports and feeling of community. KLABU clubhouses give access to sports equipment and activities, broadcast TV matches, music and Wi-Fi within a welcoming space. They’re led by the local refugee and host communities who we engage from inception to execution. We mentor them to run the clubhouses and to encourage everyone to participate in sports, with an extra focus on women and girls.

You can find KLABU clubhouses in countries like Bangladesh and Kenya, and closer to our KLABU home in Amsterdam and Ter Apel. Our bigger vision is to build the biggest club in the world. We know, it’s pretty big, but so are our ambitions and the need for this club. Every day, we see how sport changes lives, on the ground, in refugee camps and through our programmes around the world.

We also see how sport can rally support like nothing else. Our partners and supporters include UNHCR the United Nations Refugee Agency, football club Paris Saint-Germain, and architecture firm MVRDV that joined us to create the modular, multi-functional KLABU clubhouse which we are now replicating around the world. This support is much needed - there have never been more refugees in the world than today. The need for activities that go beyond survival is urgent.

To carry out our mission we have a unique dual structure: a foundation and a social enterprise. The KLABU foundation works with local communities to set up and run the KLABU sports clubhouses. The social enterprise supports the foundation by creating and selling sportswear and by collaborating with brands that help us increase our reach and impact.

The goal: to unlock access to sport for 2+ million refugees in 2050 by actively running 300+ KLABU sports clubhouses in refugee camps and cities globally.

So join us, join the KLABU!

mobile clubhouse in cox’s bazar refugee camp, Bangladesh

our first clubhouse in Kalobeyei, Kenya

Sport

has a unique power to spark joy, strengthen resilience and champion unbeatable spirit. It

can even help to rebuild lives in the most challenging places: refugee camps.

Watch TEDx talk

Join us to

Support

refugees

rebuilding

lives

Ourimpact

Our impact is best measured through stories from the KLABU community. Please also take a look at our Theory of Change and our latest Impact Report.

The Foundation

The KLABU Foundation (ANBI registered) works closely with refugee and host communities around the world to build their own sports clubhouses which provide the tools to find joy, pride and hope in the practice of sports. Our projects and organisation are funded mainly through donations from charity funds, companies and individuals. In the long-term, we want to become self-sufficient, that's why we established a business model through the KLABU social enterprise.

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the social enterprise

The KLABU social enterprise creates awareness around the Foundation’s projects, and builds support globally by creating and selling sportswear, and through brand collaborations. Half the profits from sportswear sales go to the KLABU Foundation, the other half is reinvested into the brand to sustain continued growth of business and impact. This already gives us a level of independence. Our long-term goal is to fund all projects and the Foundation's full operations through the social enterprise.

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The team

Atia on World Refugee Day

Alex working with the team in Lesvos, Greece

The core team

consists of a small, diverse and dedicated group based in Amsterdam. We work with local refugee and host communities at every KLABU clubhouse worldwide.

The Foundation has a supervisory board which ensures we are making the most positive impact possible in the lives of refugees while also growing the club responsibly.