M'bera
Spirit
Just 50 km from the Mali-Mauritania border in the Sahara desert, lies the M’bera refugee camp, home to over 100,000 Malian refugees. Now open every day, the KLABU clubhouse brings the community together through the power of sport and movement.
M'bera Refugee Camp in Mauritania
The M’bera refugee camp was established to provide safety and opportunities for Malian refugees who had to flee their homes.
In 2012, a coup d’état plunged Mali into a complex crisis, where climate shocks, epidemics, food insecurity and continued terrorist violence have forced many to flee to neighbouring countries.
Mauritania is one of those countries, welcoming refugees with supportive asylum policies. It helped set up over 20 community organisations in the M’bera camp and works with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to improve life there.
"Our Mauritanian brothers and sisters are our number one partners. We need to show them that we are a solution, not a burden."
KLABU in partnership with On’s Right To Run, UNHCR and the M’bera community have worked together on setting up the clubhouse, which is now located in the heart of the camp.
The clubhouse fits well into the greater ambition of turning the camp into a regular urban settlement and complements M’bera’s pre-existing schools, markets, connectivity center, and a bank.
Now, the clubhouse is open daily and run by a close-knit group of local community managers. It offers access to sports equipment for activities around the clubhouse, but also works together with schools and other community-based initiatives to support their activities with quality sports equipment!
The M'bera Team
"The clubhouse has met a need that has been felt for a very long time. The need to provide the young people in the camp, and all the layers of the camp with sports equipment."
Backott lending out sports equipment
Sports, music, movement, spirit at the clubhouse
Since its arrival in M’bera, the clubhouse has quickly become a lively hub, welcoming over 14,000 participants, nearly half of them girls.
Women and girls join in with energy, whether it’s volleyball, tennis, badminton or cultural events. Led by our girls' mobiliser, Fatimetou, we make sure they’re included in everything. Regular feedback helps us meet their needs, and with lighting, safe sanitation, and strong protection in partnership with UNHCR, the clubhouse is a secure space where they can take part with confidence.
More than just a venue for sports, the clubhouse pulses with creativity and community spirit. Musicians find space to rehearse, and communities come together through dance. Evenings come alive with football screenings (from Champions League to La Liga), transforming the clubhouse into a space brimming with shared joy and excitement as the community cheers on their favourite teams.
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"Sports are a good way to make friends, seeing others do what we also love. It makes us able to achieve what we’ve always dreamed of."
Girls playing volleyball at the clubhouse
This sports commission is one of 20 community organisations in M'bera
M'bera Spirit Badge
The three teapots honour the Tuareg tea tradition of welcome
The shield stands for protection and the Arabic phrase means ‘everyone is welcome’.
Clubshirt
Co-designed with the local community, the M'bera Spirit shirt embodies the unbeatable spirit of M'bera.
Impact so far
In M’Bera everybody knows about the orange container butterfly. It didn’t just land, it’s taken flight!
- On average, around 5,000 people take part in sports every week, with nearly 100 different sessions happening across the camp. Footballs barely touch the ground before the next match begins, and volleyball courts stay full. Skipping ropes fly. Walking and running groups loop through the camp.
- Sport in M’bera blends the global and the traditional. Alongside football and volleyball, you’ll find traditional wrestling and dance sessions, helping cultural heritage pass from one generation to the next.
- Today, 30% of participants are women and girls - proud volleyball champions and leaders on and off the court. Mixed volleyball tournaments bring boys and girls together.
- Beyond the camp, the team supports a karate school in the nearby town of Nema, providing tatami mats and exploring how this support can grow in the coming years.
- The KLABU staff nurture strong ties with the Mauritanian host community, inviting local youth groups to tournaments, visiting community initiatives, and sharing KLABU shirts so more people can feel part of the club.
- The team also runs awareness sessions on keeping the space clean and safe, and on the importance of education for children.
When we connected with On's social impact program Right To Run, we knew we had found the right main partner for the project.
On's mission to ignite the human spirit through movement perfectly aligns with KLABU's goal of supporting refugees rebuilding their lives through sports.
The M'bera Spirit marks the beginning of an exciting journey. It's the first of three clubhouses that we are initiating together with On to support refugee and local communities around the world.
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