Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.

“Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.” – Wayne W. Dyer

While working in Mauritania many years ago, I vividly remember the launch of World Vision’s first development project on the periphery of the capital of Nouakchott, where thousands of refugees from different regions had gathered. They had fled their homes due to the drought, which had devastated the region.

For those of us foreigners who were working in the country as humanitarian workers, the priority need seemed obvious: the refugees needed latrines! It is a basic human need to have proper sanitation facilities which help to prevent the spread of disease.

However, we didn’t have the funding for it. So, a local colleague suggested that we round up some footballs (otherwise known as soccer balls) and announce a football cup competition in a few months.

This idea provided the largest return on investment that I have observed in my 30-year career.

The young people began to organise themselves into teams with referees. What someone else looked like or the language they spoke suddenly didn’t matter. There was only one question : can you play football?

Then they identified team leaders amongst themselves. Over the next few years, these young leaders were the ones we worked with the most on our various projects.

They took the initiative to connect with adults to find sponsors so they could buy shoes and whistles, making use of their inherent marketing skills. While the boys played, many girls organised themselves to sell drinks and snacks on the side.

Football created structure, let leaders emerge, and offered income-generating opportunities.

But most importantly, football became a catalyst for social cohesion in a heterogeneous neighbourhood.

Parents started to come to the places where the kids played and got to know one another as they cheered for the same team. After living for months side-by-side without talking to one another, they began to recognize each other’s faces and remember each other’s names.

The refugees formed emotional ties to one another and their new neighbourhood, enabling them to experience community once again.

Through community, a sense of identity, and a channel for change, refugees began to rebuild their lives.

When I reflect on the role we played as foreign humanitarian workers, the most important thing we could have done for the refugees was to create opportunities and let them lead the way.

Just as the parents cheered on their kids, we just needed to support them and join in their joy as they found success.