These young cricketers turned a refugee camp into a base of empowerment

Young girls in Shatila refugee camp are bowling their way to greater heights. While these future athletes and leaders are hitting sixes on the field, they emerge from a painful past. Over 400 000 Syrian children have had to leave their homes and schools and flee to safety in Lebanon. In 2018 cricketer and volunteer Richard Verity visited Shatila in Beirut. When he introduced the sport to the children, they responded with enthusiasm and passion. And so Verity co-founded the Alsama Project, meaning ‘sky’, to combat illiteracy and develop skills through education and sport. 

“You wouldn't know that many of our children have grown up in a war zone,” he says. What began as a tent village for refugees is now transforming into a base of empowerment for young women. In collaboration with Capital Kids Cricket, Verity established 22 cricket teams in Lebanon. Through the sport, he engages the learners on a mental and physical level. Their eagerness to learn the game gives rise to a positive mindset and the capacity to dream beyond their circumstances. In the classroom, Verity strives to offer a quality curriculum that is curated on the learner’s ability, not their age. “Through the Alsama Project we hope to give a group of children who live in very poor circumstances a world-class education,” he says. The content ranges from weekly Maths, Arabic, and English classes to extra lessons about human rights.

“As a refugee, it's very easy to feel forgotten,” Verity says. Instead, he uses the popularity of cricket to boost their confidence. With the Alsama Project, Verity is creating a sense of belonging and connecting these talented young cricketers with the rest of the world. “They show an extraordinary resilience, an immense appetite for learning, and an incredible ability to show joy and gratitude, and this is what makes them so fulfilling to work with,” he says. Today, Shatila reverberates with the spirit of teamwork, hope, and the desire to achieve.

You can contribute to the work of the Alsama Project here. 

Footage and photos by Jacob Russell, Alsama Project, and McKinsey were used in the creation of this film.