by Iqra Qamari,
May 15, 2024
Joining hands with KLABU, a Dutch Foundation that builds sports clubhouses for refugee communities around the globe, the French football club Paris Saint-Germain, the Bangladeshi SPO Friendship and Avery Dennison, a global leader specialising in material science and digital identification solutions, organised a football tournament for the children residing in Ukhiya, the world’s largest refugee camp.
Named ‘Winning Spirit’, the tournament welcomed both boys and girls on May 15, 2024, at the KLABU Foundation sports clubhouse within the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar National (FDMN) camp in Bangladesh. Avery Dennison facilitated the making and sponsorship of heat transfers and badges for players’ jerseys, displaying messages of friendship, hope, and inclusion. Additionally, the company contributed backdrops, banners, plaques, trophies, and sports equipment for the camp’s use.
This event further cemented the already ongoing successful partnership between Avery Dennison and KLABU, Friendship and PSG. It includes Avery Dennison’s endorsement of KLABU’s mission to establish clubhouses where refugees can find solace, pride, and joy through sports regardless of their circumstances. It also entails Avery Dennison’s sponsored of jerseys featured in the FIFA 21 video game. Serving as a creative partner to , Avery Dennison designed and crafted the KLABU crest, depicting two camels crossed at the neck to symbolize the unity and partnership central to the initiative.
The partnership between the Foundation and Avery Dennison commenced in 2019 with the establishment of a sustainable sports club in Kenya. The former financed new facilities, procured equipment, and trained local sports managers, while the latter supplied embellishments, hangtags, and packaging for the the Dutch NGO’s kit worn by staff, members, and players. Forging a partnership with PSG and Bangladeshi social purpose organisation Friendship, the Foundation also constructed a sports clubhouse in the Cox’s Bazar camp in 2022.
Kenny Liu, vice president and general manager, South Asia & EMEA, Apparel Solutions, Avery Dennison, underscoring the necessity for helping refugees with their livelihood, remarked, “Supporting refugees to rebuild their lives is vitally important. Sport has an incredible ability to help establish a sense of achievement, teamwork and purpose. We truly hope that by contributing to this amazing tournament we can play a small part in helping children to cope, connect and excel into the future.”
Ayesha Taasin Khan, senior director and head of Friendship Inclusive Citizenship, commented, “We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with organizations like Avery Dennison, KLABU, and Paris Saint Germain. Even a few years ago, an event like this inside the FDMN camps of Cox’s Bazar would have been impossible. But it just goes to show that with dedication, collaboration, and goodwill anything is possible. Even facing the sharp realities that come with displacement, Friendship and KLABU have been able to build something uniquely beautiful for the camps of Cox’s Bazar.”
