Welcoming the Boa Vista Spirit
In Boa Vista, Brazil, the latest KLABU clubhouse has launched, bringing access to sport to the incredible Venezuelan community of the Waraotuma a Tuaranoko shelter.
12 March 2024: the day many had been waiting for. Loud music playing through the speakers, Venezuelan musicians performing, ice cream being served and most importantly, a big orange container with its doors and hatch wide open, filled with sports equipment for Waraotuma a Tuaranoko’s sports-crazy inhabitants to play with.
The community organised a beautiful opening ceremony for the clubhouse, with indigenous leaders blessing the new project.
This refugee shelter in the city of Boa Vista is home to close to 1,500 Venezuelans who are from six different indigenous tribes: the Warao, Pemon, Kariña, E'ñepa, Wayúu and Jivi.
The inhabitants grabbed our attention by showing us their love for sport and their community-focus gave us the motivation to launch a clubhouse that will be loved and cherished by everyone there.
"You always have to have your sport to keep moving forward, to keep going, to reach high places."
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After several months at sea, the clubhouse arrived in Boa Vista in February 2024, where it was unloaded and installed in Waraotuma a Tuaranoko.
The project is the fruit of incredible teamwork with the local community and with our fantastic partners and supporters including ACNUR / UNHCR the UN Refugee Agency that guided us to and in Boa Vista, AVSI Brasil that takes care of local coordination, MVRDV that designed the clubhouse, Loods121 that constructed it, Avery Dennison that sponsored the quality vinyls, TPV Cares that supported high-quality Philips TV & Sound products, Nike that donated the beloved sports equipment, Stichting De Boomgaard and Cloverleaf Foundation that supported with funding, and Flexport.org that supported the transport of the clubhouse container, while reducing the ocean freight emissions of this project through the use of sustainable biofuels.
KLABU, UNHCR and AVSI Brasil colleagues celebrating the opening!
Project coordinator Thiago hosting his first stretching session at the KLABU
KLABU manager Divennys posing in front of her clubhouse.
One of our volunteers, Señor Hermes, assembled a team around him to organise the clubhouse, placing all equipment carefully and making sure it was in place for launch day.
KLABU manager Divennys diligently registered our first KLABU Boa Vista members.
The Orange and White teams took to the football pitch to inaugurate the project.
It was on and off the sports pitch, that the Boa Vista Spirit shone bright. So much happened throughout the launch week! Take a look below.
After the launch, a girls football match took centre stage in front of the clubhouse.
Many lined up around the table tennis table, eager to try the new game as the sun was setting over Boa Vista.
Trainer Gustavo, a former Physical Education teacher in Venezuela, coached a group of young runners, who sprinted around the shelter, attempting to break the Waraotuma a Tuaranoko records.
Throughout the afternoon, Señor Hermes' familiar voice could be heard around the shelter, commentating on every action of every match!
Some of KLABU Boa Vista's most motivated members took to the volleyball court during the opening event.
And of course like all clubhouses, dozens of participants came together to submit their design propositions for their own KLABU jersey. Stay tuned to see what the Boa Vista Spirit kit will look like!
"It’s a good project, we need to know how to make a good use of it, to keep it in a good state so that people and organisations who are supporting us indigenous populations from Venezuela, feel the strength to keep supporting us."
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Big thank you to all partners and supporters who are making this project possible with unbeatable spirit!
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