Helping Refugee Youth Heal Through Sport

The district of Adjumani, in northwestern Uganda, is home to more than 265,000 refugees—almost half of the district’s population. Most people have fled violence and instability in South Sudan, arriving at their settlements with little more than hope and a few belongings. Many children arrive alone, or as the head of households, and struggle with anxiety and depression. Social services struggle to meet the massive need.

To address the urgent mental health crisis among displaced youth, the Olympic Refugee Foundation launched Game Connect, a sport-for-mental health programme, in 2020. The program is implemented by several organisations led by the AVSI Foundation, in consortium with Right To Play, Youth Sport Uganda, the Uganda Olympic Committee, and UNHCR. The goal of the programme is to enhance the mental health and psychosocial well-being of displaced young people aged 15 to 24 and their host community counterparts through structured sport-based interventions.

Now, an external evaluation published by Makerere University in Uganda has reported an 89% reduction in the number of youth reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression following their participation in phase one of the program.

Right To Play has been working in Uganda—and in Adjumani—for many years to protect, educate, and empower children to rise above adversity through sport and play. Life in Adjumani’s refugee settlements is challenging for children. Livelihood opportunities are scarce, and access to basic services, including education, healthcare, and psychosocial support, is under significant strain. The limited resources and infrastructure have intensified competition for essentials such as drinkable water, food rations, and firewood, sometimes leading to tensions between refugee and host communities. Many children and youth grow up without the support they need to learn and develop. Many also experience stress, anxiety, and depression.

The Game Connect programme has been running since 2020. The first three-year phase, which ran from 2020 to 2023, engaged 11,761 youth across Kampala, Adjumani, Kikuube, Lamwo, and Kamwenge through structured sports sessions, mental health support, and life skills training.  The second, current phase, will run to 2026, and builds on the learnings of the first phase. The programme is demonstrating how structured sports activities can help youth reduce anxiety, can help to build social cohesion, and can give young people the tools to address their psychosocial needs.

In addition to regular sporting mentorship and training, youth participate in weekly mental health sessions that focus on emotional resilience, stress relief, and confidence building. Coaches also conduct household visits to meet with parents and caregivers, reducing barriers to access and addressing child protection issues. The core play activities used in the program were contributed by Right To Play and draw from our more than 25 years’ experience empowering displaced youth through sport and play. As part of the programme, we provide training to Coaches that equips them with skills to engage youth with safeguarding in mind. The programme’s Support for Mental Health curriculum empowers leaders to identify mental health risks and leverage sports for emotional regulation and social cohesion.

To our knowledge, Game Connect is the first program of its kind to undergo a randomized controlled trial evaluation to assess whether a sport-for-protection intervention can quantifiably reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in humanitarian settings.

The results show a significant improvement in the psychosocial well-being and mental health of young refugees. Following the program, the treatment group displayed a 79% improvement in psychological well-being outcomes, experienced an increase in self-efficacy, and doubled their sense of belonging. More youth also said they could identify a stable support figure outside their home.

These results are from an external evaluation conducted by Makerere University, led by Ronald Luwangula, Ph.D.

The current phase of the program aims to expand the program’s reach and has a stronger emphasis on mental health inclusivity for girls and youth with disabilities. Community engagement has also intensified, with parents, teachers, and local leaders playing a vital role in contributing to the program’s development. Sports tournaments unite host and refugee communities, fostering interaction and reducing stigma in order to create a harmonious environment.

Former participants are also stepping into leadership roles as peer mentors, helping to deliver sessions to new participants. The programme is collaborating with new partners, including civil society organisations and schools, to strengthen advocacy and establish sports as a key component of mental health support in educational settings. A developing cooperation with the Uganda Olympic Committee aims to connect programme participants with sports federations and professional coaching to enhance the quality and delivery of each sporting program. The second phase of the program also includes introduced financial literacy and employability skills components.

Globally, more than 47 million children are forced to live in displacement. The psychological toll of conflict and instability has lifelong effects, and programmes like Game Connect offer a crucial lifeline. This intervention demonstrates that with proper support, displaced youth can achieve tremendous things and have the capacity to flourish. Sport-for-mental health programmes demonstrate that for children, play is not just a recreational outlet, but also a source of emotional recovery.