Inter Angola Campus, sport as social protection

LUANDA - Luanda's Lixeira, is not only the home of the Inter Angola Campus, but also to around 500 boys and girls who, every day, risk their lives amidst all kinds of dangers: assault, disease, lack of drinking water and junk food scavenged from the heaps of rubbish that can be found on every street corner. Six Salesian centres in as many neighbourhoods of Lixeira (São Paulo, San José, Mota, Trilho, Mabubas, Bakhita) provide an escape from all this for the youngsters. Here, sport and football are used to act as a protective barrier and to give respite from the enormous pressures of the external environment that stifles the growth of young people by plaguing them with countless troubles. The Inter Campus also strives to use various approaches in accordance with local needs, and here the project includes attempts to support educational pathways and reintegrate children into Salesian schools (the Angolan partner) so that they can receive the basic education they need to survive the chaos of Lixeira. Providing a sense of identity to each child through the Nerazzurri's jersey is fundamental to forging a path of growth that recognises the dangers and provides a safer path for oneself and one's family through education. In Luanda, therefore, sport acts as a protective barrier and a supportive tool for childhood and adolescence.