|  | Current Issues | No.56 May 2009 |
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Sport for Peace Report Executive Summary Amjad Ali |
The complex emergency in District Swat, NWFP, Pakistan is charactersied by extensive violence and loss of life, massive displacement of people, widespread damage to society, the economy and the hindrance of humanitarian assistance by security risks, political and military constrain. As you might imagine, this has had severely detrimental effect on recreational activities, such as sport and tourism. Under the sports for peace project, 3360 players from 330 teams were equipped with sports goods, in eight distribution ceremonies, to revive and promote sporting activites in their respective area and provide a valuable tool for building resilience and helping people affected by disaster and displacement to overcome trauma. Sporting activities allow a brief period of relaxation, focus attention away from the experience of loss and provide an opportunity to reinforce educational and safety messages, along with welcome respite for parents and care providers. Swat Youth Front (SYF) organised cricket and volleyball tournaments among the member teams of the Sports for Peace Network. The goal was to utilise sport as an effective tool and strong unifying factor in the process of conflict transformation, peace building and development, restoration of interaction and communication and emotional and social rehabilitation of a traumatised community. The general community, but in particular the local youths, were in dire need of such assistance, so the project was highly appreciated and valued across the community. Background Talibanisation, militancy, terrorism, military operations and armed conflict, long-running curfews and check posts, extensive violence and loss of life, massive displacement of people, widespread damage to the society and political instability have on the one hand caused a severe deterioration of the economy of the area. But these factors have also had a negative impact on recreational activities like sports and tourism. Sport is indisputably the most popular leisure activity in the area, not only for children and youths, but also for men as participants, coaches, leaders, administrators and spectators. However, due to afore mentioned situation and the paralysed economy, opportunities have been limited. Aware of the situation, SYF proposed a project called “Sports for Peace” to the Public Affairs Section at the United States (US) Consulate, Peshawar. The US, acting through the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Islamabad awarded a grant of 12000US$ to SYF with Grant No. SPK33008GR060 to encourage initiatives where sport can assist in creating a platform for post-conflict peace-building, development and dialogue by facilitating and equipping 3360 players, in 330 teams with sporting goods and establishing a sporting network. Project Goal Sport can be used as an effective tool and strong unifying factor in the process of conflict transformation, peace building and development, restoration of community interaction and communication and emotional and social rehabilitation of a traumatised community by providing sports goods to the youth players of the area, with a special focus on the areas of Swat most affected by violence. Objectives Facilitating and equipping 330 youth sports teams. Restoration and promotion of sport activities in the area. Game-based approaches to addressing sensitive topics Renaissance of sporting activities to provide leisure to the traumatised communities affected by violence Providing healthy alternatives to harmful behaviour, such as drug abuse and crime, through the promotion of sport. Methodology Agreement Signed on: Cooperative agreement signed between Public Affairs Section US Embassy, Islamabad and Swat Youth Leader on September 20, 2008. Funds Received: $12000 (PKR 933120) received from US Embassy, Islamabad for the project activities. Joint meeting of SYF’s Board of Directors and Programme Staffs: Meeting of Board of Director of SYF and SYF’s Program Staff convened at SYF Head Office, Opposite GPS Haji Baba Mingora to discus the implementation strategy of the Sports for Peace project. Establishment of coordination committee: A coordination committee consisting of three members was formed under supervision of SYF. The committee was responsible for the over all project development, implementation and execution with stake holders (Selected partner teams, associations and other below mentioned committees). The committee also coordinated with the Public Affairs Section of US Consulate by submitting reports. Establishment of Selection Committee: SYF established a Selection Committee consisting of two members of the SYF Board of Directors and a representative each from the Swat Cricket Association, Swat Football Association and Swat Volleyball Association. The committee invited applications and letters of interest from willing youth cricket, football and volleyball teams through advertisements in local newspapers and by issuing letters to sports teams and Union Councils. The Selection Committee assessed and scrutinised the application forms and selected 150 cricket teams, 120 volleyball teams and 60 football teams, with a special focus on the areas most affected by Talibanisation. Prior to selection, all the applicants were informed about the decision of the Selection Committee and the selected applicants were invited to sign a memorandum of understanding with SYF. Establishment of Purchasing Committee: A Purchasing Committee was also established, consisting of two members of SYF’s Board of Directors and a representative each from the Swat Cricket, Football and Volleyball Associations. The Purchasing Committee invited tenders from sports goods suppliers through advertisements in local newspapers. The Purchasing Committee passed the tender, whilst remaining mindful of the quality and price of goods. The selected firm, Trade link, signed an memorandum of understanding with SYF to supply the goods within the given time. The following goods were purchased:
S# | Item | Quantity
A |  | Goods for Cricket Game
1 | Tennis ball Cricket bat | 300: two per team
2 | Tennis ball | 300: two per team
3 | Wickets/stumps set | 150 sets: one per team
4 | Wicket keeper gloves | 150 pairs: one per team
5 | Cricket Player Caps, bearing peace Slogan | 1800: twelve per team
B |  | Goods for Foot ball Game
1 | Footballs | 120: two per team
2 | Nets | 60: one per team
3 | Goal Keeper Gloves | 60: one per team
C |  | Goods for volley ball Game
1 | Volleyballs | 240: two per team
2 | Nets | 120: one per team
Sports Goods Distribution ceremonies: Eight grand sports goods distribution ceremonies were conducted in various areas of Swat district and Shangla district, inviting two members from each selected team, civil society, government representatives, public representatives, journalists and dignitaries of the area. Details of the distribution ceremonies are:
S# | Date | Distribution Venue | Sport Teams
Cricket | Football | Volley ball
1 | 3rd January, 2009 | DCO Office Swat | 10 | 5 | 5
2 | 5th January,2009 | G.H.S Kokarai | 10 | 5 | 10
3 | 6th January,2009 | G.H.S Barikot | 10 | 5 | 15
4 | 9th January, 2009 | G.C.M.H.S Alpurai | 20 | 10 | 10
5 | 10th January, 2009 | G.H.S Besham | 20 | 05 | 10
6 | 11th Jan,2009 | GHS Bahrain | 10 | 2 | 5
7 | 12th Jan,2009 | UC Office Kalam | 10 | 3 | 5
8 | 22nd February, 2009 | Sports Gemnism Makan Bagh Saidu Sharif Swat | 60 | 25 | 60
| Total |  | 150 | 60 | 120
Outcomes In spite of the sensitive situation, usual military operations and curfews, 330 teams received sports goods in eight distribution ceremonies. Restoration and promotion of sporting activities in the area Compilation of a sports team directory which is to be shared among the sports teams associations, players and district sports office. Identification of problems and needs faced by players in their areas. 38,000 spectators enjoyed the games. Renaissance of sporting activities to provide leisure to the militancy affected traumatised community Players’ network under the Sports for Peace project will mobilise resources for promotion of Sports for Peace and development in the region on a sustainable basis. Problems Faced SWF devised a tentative work plan for distribution of sports goods under the Sport for Peace project, but the organisation also faced some problems due to the uncertain situation in the area and continuous curfews in the most sensitive areas of the district. Therefore, in some cases the afore mentioned tentative work plan was not followed. To ensure safety and security, SYF opened a post box address at general Post Office Saidu Sharif for the collection of the distribution forms. The distribution forms were distributed through grassroots organisations, SYF’s volunteers and among sports teams at play grounds to avoid any danger. After the first distribution ceremony on 3rd January, 2009, Mullana Shah Dawran, a local Taliban leader, condemned Cricket Games during his FM Speech. This meant it would be incredibly difficult for the organisation to arrange further distribution ceremonies with adequate security and confidence. SYF’s staff and volunteers faced many arduous journeys through difficult terrain to avoid the Taliban on the normal road to District Shangla. The staff and volunteers had to complete the journey from District Swat to District Shangla in two days. A chilly winter, snow, rain and strange routes were the main hurdles faced encountered. The staff and volunteers faced several problems during distribution ceremonies at Bahrain and Kalam. The main road from Mingora to Kalam was closed due to suicide attacks on the security forces and continuous curfews. Moreover, this area is a stronghold of the Taliban, the created a further stumbling block in the staging of the distribution ceremony. The staff and the volunteers had to follow an alternative and dangerous route, by both foot and by vehicle, to reach the destinations. At Matta Area, the most sensitive area and hub of the Taliban, the staff and volunteers had a narrow escape as a severe clash between the security forces and the Taliban began. Staff and volunteers had to take shelter in one of the markets for up to 4 hours. During the Distribution ceremony in Bahrain, some of the Taliban enquired about the ceremony but the situation was handled smoothly, thanks to the intervention of local leaders. The staff has to cover the area from Kalam to Mingora in five days. As travelling on the road was not allowed, the staff has to follow mountain tracks to reach Mingora. Impact of the Activities Revival of sports activities: Under the signed memorandum of understanding it was mandatory for the teams to ensure they provided photographs of the sporting activities in which the gifted goods were used and for the teams to be part of the Sport for Peace network. To utilise sport as an effective tool and a strong unifying factor in the process of conflict transformation, peace building and development, restoration of interaction and communication and emotional and social rehabilitation of a traumatised community, SYF organized cricket and volleyball tournaments among the member teams of the Sports for Peace Network Sport helps to build resilience: Participating in sport and physical activity has many positive health benefits for people of all ages and abilities. Sport has a crucial role in the optimal growth, learning and development of children from infancy through adolescence and adult life. In a complex situation, the Sport for Peace project was a valuable tool for building resilience and helping people affected by disaster to overcome their trauma. It provided a safe, structured and friendly environment for people to begin to cooperate through verbal and non-verbal communication. The emphasis was on building social cohesion and on encouraging community members to interact and communicate with each other. The sporting activities allowed a brief period of relaxation away from the losses suffered in the troubles and provided an opportunity to reinforce educational and safety messages, alongside some essential respite for parents and caregivers. Psychosocial aspects of the sports for peace project do not have a primary focus on competition and wining, but rather an emphasis on the cultivation of a cooperative and supportive environment. The culture of cooperation contributed significantly to the restoration of psychosocial and social functioning. People benefited from having regular contact with providers of physical activity who provide trustworthy and reliable role models, an important aspect in the building of resilience and overcoming trauma. Learning of skills: The revival of sports activities provided a forum to learn skills such as discipline, confidence and leadership and it taught core principles such as tolerance, cooperation and respect. Sport teaches the values of effort and how to manage victory, as well as defeat. Generate dialogue: The Sports for Peace project helped to promote social integration and foster tolerance, helping to reduce tension, generate community dialogue, establish a sense of structure and normalcy in youth’s lives, which is particularly important for children affected by armed conflict and displacement. The Sports for Peace project harnessed the power of sport and play to teach vital life skills and values that can contribute toward building vibrant and peaceful communities. Participants learn how to communicate, work in teams and set goals. The project helps youths’ cultivate the ability to resolve conflicts peacefully through increased self-esteem and confidence in their own abilities, as well giving them the motivation and courage to be positive agents of change. Regular activities also reduce stress, anxiety and depression, provide respite from conflict and stressful situations and help children affected by conflict and war regain a sense of normalcy. Feedback from evaluations conducted in various areas of District Swat showcase how the Sports for Peace project is contributing towards decreased violence and conflict in the community along with an increased ability to resolve conflict in a cooperative manner. Case Studies
Salman Taseer, 20 years old and captain of Shahi Panr Cricket Club. The armed conflict, Talibanisation, continuous curfews and civilian exodus in the area had curtailed the sports activities in his area. Moreover, economic problems of the players’ families were also a stumbling back in their sporting activities. By equipping the team with the sports equipment, offering inspiration through the distribution ceremonies and being a member of the Sports for Peace network enabled Salman’s team to hold matches with the other network members. The revival of their sporting activities allow the team players a brief period of relaxation and an opportunity to focus attention away from recent traumatic experiences. Liaqat Ali, 25 years old and captain of Elum Volleyball Club from the most sensitive area in the project and hub of the Taliban- Kabal. During the armed conflict between the security forces and Taliban he sadly witnessed several atrocities, including the killing of innocent civilians by the Taliban. These atrocities, along with their displacement effect, led to Liaqat experiencing psychological distress. Being displaced from their homes, the families of the team members also encountered financial crises’, this left them with no means to equip themselves with necessary sports equipment. The Sports for Peace project equipped the team with volleyball equipment and also provided a gateway for the team to be a member of the Sports for Peace network. Supplying the team with the volleyball equipment was a valuable tool for building team resilience and helping people affected by disaster to overcome trauma. It provided a safe, structured and friendly environment, for the team in particular, but also the community in general to begin the sharing of ideas and emotions through verbal and non-verbal communication and helped the team to cultivate an ability to resolve conflicts peacefully. Shahid Ali comments “I am part of the local community because of the football team and we have become friends. We visit each other privately and we do not feel as displaced anymore. Instead we feel we have become a part of the host community. When I returned home from the playground I was so happy and full of good experiences so that I could hardly wait to wake up again to meet with my new friends. At the playground, we exchanged phone numbers and addresses to maintain our friendship beyond the project. Shahid Ali is 19 years of age and was internally displaced from the sensitive Matta Area. He too witnessed many atrocities, destruction and inhumane acts. He joined a football team in the host area and submitted an application for the sports goods through the Sports for Peace project. |
Recommendations Like Swat, other northern districts of NWFP-including Dir Upper and Lower, Bunir and Malakand Agency the Taliban are on the rise. For example the music shop owners have received threatening letters from unidentified militants to close their music business and convert to other businesses, as music is considered "un-Islamic." Music and video shops, hairdressers and girls' schools have all been under threat from suspected militants in northern Bunir district, Malakand Agency, Dir Upper and Lower Dir. Some schools and music shops were even attacked. Previously the threats were confined to district Swat district but later the threats spread to the adjacent district of Malakand Division. As a result, the influence of religious extremists and radical Islamists is gradually spreading beyond the Swat area. The government's cautious approach to these developments could further weaken it and further embolden Talibanisation and extremism Analysis: Recent events in Swat involving Taliban and Therek Nafaze Shriat (TNS) show that these elements are trying to exploit instability to their advantage. These have included: Attempts by Taliban from Swat district to recruit suicide bombers from schools in neighboring districts in the Malakand Region of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), leading to clashes with security forces. Attacking school buildings Attacking and threatening music & video shops and hairdressers. Banning girls education and calling for the wearing of burqas compulsory. Suicide attacks and bomb blasts in Shangla district, Bunir district, Dir Upper district and Lower and in Malakand Agency. These incident shows how the Swat Taliban, who are trying to establish control in the area, are reacting to the pressure they are facing from security forces. It is likely they have decided that the best defence is to go on the offense, especially outside their own district. This would explain the move to expand their area of influence beyond Swat and the process of recruiting that is taking place. SYF proposes to expand the activities of the Sports for Peace project in the adjacent districts, namely, Dir Lower district, Dir Upper district, Bunir district and Malakand Agency as the Taliban are spreading their influence in the area in an attempt to recruit local youths. The Proposed Project Extension of Sports for Peace Project: SYF proposes to encourage initiatives where sports programs provide structure in an unstructured, unstable environment and serve as a means to channel energy away from aggression or self-destruction despite the expansion of militancy and Talibanisation in the region. Such initiatives will help to build 900 teams with the skills and values necessary to avoid conflict and ensure peace. This power of sports can be used as a tool for preventing conflict, as well as an element for building sustainable peace. The project will promote social integration and foster tolerance and these core values should increase the prospect of a lasting peace. Sports will be used as a medium to help build the character and confidence of the young people and better prepare them to meet the challenges they face. Sports will be used as a practical means to communicate a message of peace and help encourage non-violent solutions to problems. All these initiatives will assist in creation of a platform for peace-building, tolerance and development dialogue by facilitating and equipping 900 youth sport teams with sports equipment and establishing a network of them. It will directly involve 8400 players, in 900 Cricket, Football and Volleyball teams, along with more than 90,000 indirect beneficiaries (including spectators) in healthy and peaceful activities. Goal of the Project: Sport as a vehicle for promotion of peace can be used to modify basic cultural mindsets of mankind to work for the creation of a culture of peace. Sport can strive to build a culture which consists of values, attitudes and behaviour that rejects violence through dialogue and negotiation between individuals, groups and communities. Primary Objective: Sport can be used as an effective tool and a strong unifying factor in the process of conflict transformation, peace-building and development, restoration of interaction and communication and emotional and social rehabilitation of traumatised communities by equipping the youth players of the four district of Malakand with sports equipment. Secondary Objectives: Facilitating and equipping 900 youth sport teams. Use sport as means to channel energies away from aggression. Game-based approach to address sensitive topics. To use sport as a practical means to communicate a message of peace and help find non-violent solutions to problems. Provide healthy alternatives to harmful behaviour, such as drug abuse, militancy and crime, through the promotion of sport. Provision of Sports shirt and shoes: During the assessment and collection of forms it was observed that most of the teams asked for the provision of sports shirts and shoes, as it was impossible for the players to bear the cost of these items due to high unemployment. Therefore, it is recommended to equip the sports teams with basic sport accessories. Renovation of Play Grounds: The armed conflict and use of heavy artillery by the security forces have partially damaged the local playgrounds in various parts of the district. Therefore, it is recommended to support the organisation and team players in the renovation of playgrounds. Tournaments: To utilise sport as an effective tool and a strong unifying factor in the process of conflict transformation, staging of the sports tournaments are indispensible. The tournaments will allow brief period of relaxation and will encourage the teams and spectators to interact and communicate with each other. Contact Mr. Amjad Ali Swat Youth Front Opposite GPS Haji Baba, Mingora Swat NWFP, Pakistan Email: syf@syfswat.org Website: www.syfswat.org icsspe.org/index.php?m=15 Sport for Peace Report Executive Summary Amjad Ali