Hello, we are KLABU 👋🏼 A cross-border club for those who believe in the power of sport and the potential of the refugee community.

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 Jordan and Kenya, and closer to our KLABU home in Amsterdam. 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, sportswear company On, 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! 

Over 120 million people across the world are currently forced to flee their homes. Escaping from war and persecution, refugees leave everything behind. Despite being safe, many are traumatised and live in harsh conditions, in urban slums or refugee camps with little access to education and employment. Solutions can take years, meanwhile refugees sit idle in camps, frustration sets in and human potential risks being wasted.

Most sports initiatives in refugee camps, if any, are one-off and sporadic. Donated materials are often not looked after, can be sold or are not suitable to the tough conditions in a camp. Sports programmes end when instructors leave the camp or sponsors simply lose interest.

KLABU provides a long-term solution for young refugees and locals to play sports because it is community-driven. The refugees and locals are engaged from the very beginning, we build the clubhouses together and they are in charge of the day-to-day management of their club.

Other organisations can then use the clubhouses for their programmes - this way we double impact: we provide the hardware and they can provide the software.

In the long-term, we look for ways for our clubhouses to "graduate", which means complete local leadership and ownership of the project like we have in Cox's Bazar, Ter Apel and Lesvos.

Yes, we work directly with refugee and host communities around the world to cater to their needs and wishes and take full ownership of the program. Here are the underlying principles of our approach:

We align closely with the community to co-design the programme in response to what is most needed and to ensure that our projects are culturally sensitive and appropriate. During the assessment phase we involve the community in focus group discussions and identify representatives who can manage and operate the project on the ground.

We mentor the identified community representatives to operate their clubhouses self-sufficiently and to gradually take full ownership during regular online meetings and frequent capacity building visits in person. This approach not only provides paid employment opportunities but also ensures broad acceptance of the programmes. To guarantee more local oversight we work closely together with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which supports and monitors the performance of our teams on the ground.

At our projects we amplify a network of local partner organisations that can benefit the wellbeing of the community. Our clubhouses become hubs for community-based organisations, musicians, and artists to run their programme. These partnerships help integrate our clubhouses into the broader community and extend our programme beyond sports.

We conduct interviews, surveys and focus group discussions to collect genuine feedback. This process helps in aligning our efforts with the evolving needs and wishes of the community.

Across the globe, sport brings people together. It creates joy, strengthens  bodies and minds, and teaches people how to work together. At KLABU, we use sport as a doorway/as a common language,  not just to play, but to reconnect, rebuild, and belong.

We believe everyone deserves to be part of a club, of a community.

Our impact focuses on two core goals:

1. Supporting refugees to cope with displacement and adversity by: 

Our clubhouses offer moments of relief, and spaces where people can rediscover joy, pride, and hope. Playing together reduces isolation, builds confidence, and strengthens resilience.

Clubhouses are inclusive spaces where refugees and local community members come together, regardless of nationality, tribe, gender, or background. Through shared games and activities, relationships build, and a sense of belonging grows.

Our clubhouses are community-led and community-run. We create paid roles that support independence and dignity. Managing a clubhouse builds practical skills - from leadership and teamwork to organisation and project management - strengthening long-term self-reliance.

We actively work to ensure women, girls, queer, older people, and people with disabilities feel welcome and included. Through targeted outreach and inclusive programming, participants gain confidence, make meaningful friendships, and feel part of a community, improving both their wellbeing and agency.

2. Connecting refugees locally and globally

Our clubhouses are shared spaces. Refugees and local communities design, manage, and enjoy them together. Playing side by side fosters understanding, cooperation, and more inclusive communities.

Through storytelling and sportswear, we invite the world to move in solidarity with refugee communities. Wearing a KLABU shirt is more than supporting a club - it reminds our members they are not alone, and it helps us grow the world’s biggest sports club.

Read more about our impact goals, how we measure them, and what we’ve achieved so far here.

Since launching in 2019, KLABU has grown into a global movement powered by sport. Together with communities around the world, we build vibrant sports clubhouses in refugee camps, settlements, and cities -  spaces that strengthen wellbeing, dignity, and connection. 

Here’s how we bring it to life:

Our clubhouses are welcoming, uplifting environments,  often in contrast to the challenging realities outside their walls.  They are open to everyone.

Each clubhouse includes a sports library stocked with equipment for popular local sports, alongside creative and educational activities shaped by community interests,  from drawing and dance to poetry, crafts, and life-skills workshops.

Each clubhouse is managed by refugee and local leaders who organise activities, lend equipment, and coordinate events and tournaments. They are supported and mentored by the KLABU team to build confidence and management skills. We also partner with expert local organisations that provide specialised training, for example on making spaces safe and accessible for people with disabilities.

Clubhouses are equipped with solar power, Wi-Fi, and TVs, turning them into multifunctional social hubs. Refugees use these spaces to study, work, watch international sports events, and take part in educational or safeguarding programmes run by local and refugee-led organisations - addressing needs that go beyond sport alone.

By involving from the start both refugees and host community members in decision-making and activities, KLABU facilitates opportunities for positive interaction and cooperation. This helps break down social barriers, fosters mutual understanding, and strengthens social cohesion both locally and, over time, within wider host societies.

We work with communities to design their own club shirts and badges, so members can truly feel part of their club. Wearing these shirts builds pride, identity, and a sense of belonging among refugees.

These shirts are also sold globally, allowing people around the world to support refugee-led sports clubs. This approach raises awareness of the refugee cause, shows solidarity, and creates a sustainable revenue stream that helps maintain and expand KLABU clubhouses.

If you want to join the Klabu and support your favourite club visit the shop.

Since 2019, KLABU has launched clubhouses across Kenya, Bangladesh, Greece, Brazil, Jordan, Mauritania, Poland, Mexico, and the Netherlands. Each year, we open at least one new clubhouse in a new location. At the same time, we deepen our impact in existing locations by opening additional clubhouses in large camps and settlements where more than one is needed to reach everyone.

Our goal is to ensure that all refugees in a camp or community have access to a KLABU clubhouse. This reflects the heart of our mission: building the world’s biggest club for those who don’t have one.

Across all our locations, KLABU reaches thousands of people through daily activities that promote mental and physical wellbeing. By employing and supporting community-led teams, we strengthen self-reliance and ensure each clubhouse truly belongs to the people it serves (Impact Goal 1).

Our teams are made up of both refugee and host community members, fostering integration and inclusion (Impact Goal 2).

While we prioritise protracted refugee situations because we believe that the highest needs are there, we recognise that displacement is changing. More refugees now live in urban areas, are internally displaced, or are returning to their home communities that have been deeply affected by conflict. This is why we opened our Warsaw clubhouse - adapting our model to respond to evolving needs.

Visit our clubhouse pages to learn more about the impact of each project.

To set up a new clubhouse, we always work with a local partner and local community representatives. They are the project owners, KLABU is the facilitator and fundraiser. Together we identify the local needs, develop a budget and work plan and bring it into practice.

So even though the KLABU core team is based in Amsterdam, through teamwork with communities around the world, we empower them to run the projects: it's their KLABU!

To carry out our mission we have a unique dual structure.

The KLABU Foundation works closely with refugee and host communities around the world to build their own sports clubhouses that are hubs for play, wellbeing, education and entrepreneurship. Our projects and organisation are funded mainly through donations from funds, companies and individuals. In the long-term, we want to become self-sustaining, that's why we created a business model through the KLABU social enterprise.

The KLABU social enterprise creates awareness around the Foundation’s projects, and builds the club externally through the creation and sales of sportswear, and through brand collaborations. Half the profits from sportswear sales go to the KLABU Foundation, the other half are 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 the entire operations of the Foundation through the social enterprise.

The core team consists of a diverse and dedicated team. We work with local refugee and host communities at every KLABU clubhouse worldwide. The Foundation has a supervisory board which makes sure we are making the biggest impact possible in the lives of refugees while also growing the club.

Read more about our organisation and business model here.

For any employment or volunteering opportunities at KLABU, please take a look at this page.

If you don't see something that interests you yet, then keep updated via our socials and newsletter. You can sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our homepage.