Located in the Ajloun Governorate of Jordan, Kufranja is home to 40,000 people, including Syrian refugees and Jordanians. To support what is one of the most vulnerable communities in Jordan, ACTED built the first football field in the area and recently handed it over to the local municipality, with the support of UNHCR. The football field sits with a view of the green and majestic mountains of Ajloun, if only to offer a background of tranquility to the bustling heat of local matches between youth in Kofranja. In total, around 12,000 young Syrian and Jordanian boys and girls will be able to play in the football field.
The Syrian Conflict has entered into its fifth year and the number of Syrian refugees in the region has climbed to four million.and In an effort to support both Syrians and host communities through assistance in developing their local infrastructure and through creating opportunities to create a sense of community between one another, ACTED works in communities like Kofranja.
Jordan’s Secretary General of the Higher Council for Youth, said:
“Projects like these have a positive impact on youth and keep them active. It helps them to communicate better with others and to become good leaders in the future.”
Khaled, 17, has grown up in Kofranja his whole life. He has dreams of becoming a footballer and is committed to training but, up until recently, he had to travel to Irbid to play.
“This football field gives us the opportunity to train and compete so we can grow as a team,” he said.
Mohamad, 17, is from Deraa, Syria. He and his family escaped the war two years ago and he has been living in Kofranja for a year after spending a year in Zaatari Camp. His dream is to become a pilot so he can “fly through the sky and see the world”, but he says he is settled in Kofranja for now.
“People might not agree but I am very fortunate. I have friends here and feel accepted. The Jordanian boys here have welcomed me on their team and it’s a great feeling to be able to play now. Before this pitch, I would always just sit around on the street, completely bored,” he said.