frequently asked
questions
We believe in full transparency. Regarding our mission, our goals and how KLABU works.
We are a unique combination of an NGO and a brand, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with projects in different countries.
Through our NGO we build sports clubhouses in refugee camps, settlements and cities that are hubs for play, good health, education, employment and entrepreneurship.
Through our brand, we create and sell sportswear to raise funds and build a strong community of supporters.
We use the power of sport to support refugees who are rebuilding their lives.
The goal: to reach 2+ million refugees in 2030 by actively running 50+ KLABU sports clubhouses in refugee camps, settlements and cities, and becoming the biggest club in the world.
Over 110 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 traumatized 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.
Across the globe sports activities bring joy to people. Sports are also good for health, they promote important values such as fair play and they rally people together. These and other benefits are well-known. But in addition, why do we use sports to support refugees?
Sport has a unique power to strengthen resilience, break down barriers and champion unbeatable spirit. It can even help to rebuild lives in the most challenging places: refugee camps.
Through KLABU, we focus on three impact goals: (1) to improve the mental and physical well-being of refugees, (2) to promote the self-reliance of refugees, and (3) to stimulate refugee inclusion and integration.
Read more about our impact goals, measurement and results here.
We support refugees who are rebuilding their lives by building KLABU sports clubhouses which give refugees the tools to find relief, pride and happiness in the practice of sport and feeling of community.
Everyday, local managers rally the community together, lend sports equipment and games on the basis of a smart library system, and also organise activities, events and tournaments. They earn a meaningful income and are continuously mentored by the KLABU HQ team.
Solar power and connectivity turn the clubhouses into social hubs where refugees can meet, watch broadcast sports matches, listen to music, access Wi-Fi and even study. The clubhouses can reach up to 20,000 beneficiaries directly and indirectly.
Other organisations also use the facilities to run their programmes on education, health, entrepreneurship and employment, thereby further increasing our impact.
We also involve impact-minded sports fans through KLABU sportswear. With each product sold, you join our mission.
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.
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!
Since 2019, we have launched five clubhouses across four countries: in Kenya, Bangladesh, Greece and the Netherlands. This year in 2024, we will open at least two more clubhouses in Brazil and Mauritania, expanding our reach. This is central to KLABU's philosophy: building the world's biggest club for those who don't have one.
Across our current locations, we have 15,000 participants every month that take part in daily activities that improve mental and physical wellbeing (impact goal 1). Contributing to community self-reliance (impact goal 2), we employ 23 people who run the projects with passion and love - making it their clubhouses. Furthermore, the teams are a mix of refugee and host community members, stimulating integration and inclusion (impact goal 3).
Visit our clubhouse pages to read more about our impact per project.
During the coming 3 years, we want to (a) further improve our current projects and impact model, and (b) expand into new areas by setting up new projects.
a) Further improve our current projects and impact model
Although current projects are going well, we see enough room for improvement. We want to:
- Further invest into our relationship with UNHCR the UN Refugee Agency;
- Further invest into community ownership and responsibility by working even more closely with the local refugee and host community managers;
- Further invest into local partner organisations that help to train and monitor the local community managers;
- Improve our impact measurement by further developing the KLABU Community app which we have started to work on with our digital supporter OWOW Agency;
- Improve, structure and formalise our relationships with partners and supporters through template agreements which we have created with our pro bono legal supporter De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek;
- Increase our impact by further transforming our clubhouses into hubs for other organisations to deliver their activities;
- Finetune our projects to make them even more inclusive especially for girls, differently-abled people and minority groups.
b) Expand into new areas by setting up new projects
We’ve developed a cost efficient and scalable clubhouse model with the renowned architecture firm MVRDV, which we will pilot in 2024 and then introduce around the world:
- The pilot will take place in the refugee shelter in Boa Vista, Brazil, where we focus on Venezuelan refugees from indigenous communities.
- In summer 2024, we intend to implement a new clubhouse in the M’bera Refugee Camp, Mauritania.
- We also plan to expand our impact in the Netherlands and in Europe in 2024. We want to implement a Mobile Clubhouse that will drive to asylum seeker centers and bring play and build bridges throughout the country and European continent.
- As of 2025, we want to introduce three clubhouses per year. Together with UNHCR the UN Refugee Agency, we have created a list of refugee camps around the world where clubhouses are needed based on most urgent needs.
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.
Have a question thats not yet addressed here?
Get in touch