92-year-old WWII refugee empowers refugees through sports

In a world where hope can sometimes seem out of reach, there is a powerful force that brings joy, healing and a sense of belonging across borders and languages: the power of sports.

Welcome to "Humanitarians at Work", UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency's biweekly newsletter where we share motivations, challenges and advice from staff working in the humanitarian sector. If you would like an exclusive sneak peek into the lives of humanitarian workers and tips on how to get started in the sector, please subscribe.

In this edition, we are excited to introduce you to Claude Louis Marshall, a 92-year-old volunteer at UNHCR who has dedicated the past 30 years to supporting refugees through sports programmes. From fleeing Germany as a small boy in the 1930s to dedicating over three decades to UNHCR, Claude shares a remarkable journey that intertwines his personal history with a deep commitment to humanitarian efforts, particularly through sports programmes for refugees. With the Paris Olympics starting in just a few days, Claude worked closely with the International Olympic Committee to include refugees in the Refugee Olympic Team, which first competed in Rio in 2016. This team has inspired people worldwide, with millions cheering them on and celebrating their stories of resilience and hope.

His dedication has not only pioneered sports initiatives in refugee camps worldwide but also highlighted the transformative power of sports in the lives of displaced children. Claude's reflections underscore the importance of listening to refugees' stories and the enduring impact of providing hope and opportunity through sports.

Ready? Let's get started!

I was born in 1932. And by 1936, we left Germany. One day, the Marshall family (originally Marschall) was walking down the sidewalk in Heidelberg. And here comes Hans, somebody my father played football with since childhood. He sees my father coming toward him, and he walks across the street. My father yells, "Hans, why are you crossing the street when I'm coming this way?" He said, "I don't walk on the same sidewalk as a Jew." Dead silence in my family. That incident was the final straw for my father. He called a family meeting and said, "If this is what’s happening after just two years of Hitler propaganda, we can't stay here."

Now, to leave our home, in the refugee world is a big deal. You don't leave your home with ease. I didn’t have to be told what it meant to be a refugee—I knew firsthand. That understanding drove me to join UNHCR, and I’ve been dedicated to the organization ever since.

I started after retiring from a 32-year career in advertising and public relations in Geneva. In 1993, I attended a lecture by Mrs. Sadako Ogata, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at the time. And I thought to myself, if I get a chance, I'd talk to the woman again. Later, I was invited to a dinner in Geneva where I met Mrs. Ogata again and expressed my desire to work for her. Given my background and UNHCR’s new focus on private-sector fundraising, she saw a fit and asked, “What kind of salary are you looking for?”?

And I said none. She said, you're hired.

I left my advertising job on a Friday and joined UNHCR the following Monday, beginning a commitment that has lasted 31 years.

When I started my volunteering work for fundraising, I learned that all the regions in the world where UNHCR operated were in desperate need of funds for sports. They had nothing. Zero. At that time, UNHCR had no budget for sports. In fact, when kids in the camps needed a football, our staff would go to the nearby village and buy footballs out of their own pockets. Or the kids would make a football.

I realized we needed to organize this effort properly. I knew that there were many sports federations—volleyball, ping pong, basketball and more—located near Geneva. So, my first task was to approach these sports organizations and ask for their support. To my surprise, they were very receptive. This led to successful collaborations where we provided equipment and organized sports programmes in various camps.

At that point, I told Mrs. Ogata, "I no longer want to focus on general fundraising from the private sector. Instead, I'd like to concentrate on sports." She replied, "I've been thinking about that for the few years I've been here. We have no sports programmes." And that’s how my journey in developing sports programmes for refugees began, with great help from our protection colleagues.

I've seen firsthand just how impactful sports can be for refugee children. When I was involved in writing sports programmes and interacting with these kids, I realized how traumatized they were by their experiences. Sports provide them with a much-needed escape and a chance to laugh and have fun, which is incredibly important for their mental health.

Many of these kids arrive in camps as unaccompanied minors, having lost everything – their parents, friends, homes and schools. Sports help them build new social bonds and give them a sense of belonging. Team sports, in particular, encourage interaction and community-building, which is crucial for their recovery and development.

Sports also help them see adults as allies, not threats. This is vital because many of these children have only known adults recently as enemies (e.g., soldiers or militia members). It also plays a key role in helping refugee children integrate with local communities.

The progress in sports programmes for refugees has been remarkable, especially in partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).?

It started a few years after I began working on sports programmes. One day, Mrs. Ogata came to my desk and announced that the IOC was very receptive. The then President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, wanted to draft and sign a letter of agreement with us. She tasked me with getting this partnership off the ground.?

After a few calls, I connected with a manager at the IOC. He was a former Ethiopian refugee at the IOC who obviously understood our mission well. We quickly arranged a meeting, and within hours, we had devised a project for the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya and developed a sports programme for refugee boys of various ages. It marked a successful beginning for our ongoing partnership with the IOC.

Another significant milestone occurred in 2004. Leading up to the Olympics in Athens, the IOC and UNHCR discussed ways to support refugee children with surplus sports uniforms. During the games, the IOC placed containers in the Olympic Village where athletes could donate their extra gear. This initiative provided much-needed clothing to refugee teens, though we always aimed for even greater success.

In 2015, during the significant flow of refugees across the Mediterranean, we witnessed millions risking their lives on dangerous journeys. Human traffickers would cram people into rubber rafts, charging them exorbitant fees to reach destinations like Greece or Turkey. This dire situation was extensively covered in the press.

At that time, Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), addressed the United Nations General Assembly. He highlighted the hardships faced by these young refugees and made a powerful promise: the IOC, in collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency, would form a refugee team to compete in the Olympics. Our idea was that these refugee athletes could become heroes for the children in refugee camps. Every child needs a hero in sports.

We began actively searching for refugees entering camps who were teenagers or young adults and had shown significant talent in Olympic sports in their countries of origin. One notable example is Yusra Mardini, the swimmer, whose story you might be familiar with.

In 2016, the Rio Olympics saw the creation of the first Refugee Olympic Team with 10 members, highlighting the potential of refugee athletes on a global stage. This team symbolized hope and provided a platform for refugee talent, further integrating sports into the lives of displaced youth. They represented the millions of refugee children in camps and urban locations.

One particularly memorable experience involves the sports programme we developed with the IOC for refugee boys of various ages in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee. After the project was implemented, I received a call from the IOC, asking if they could visit our camp to see the sports programmes in action. I said, by all means, we would love it. We travelled together to Kenya.

Upon arrival, the camp staff had organized everything perfectly. We observed boys of different age groups playing sports—children as young as six or seven, and older boys as well.

All of a sudden, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around. It was a young girl, a refugee girl. She said, "Mr. Marshall, Miss Gladys would like to see you."

I said, "Well, who is Miss Gladys?"

"Miss Gladys is a refugee herself from Sudan, and she's in charge of young girls who fled to the camp."

I said, "Okay, where? When does she want to see me?"

"Now. Now."

"Okay, let's go."

So, a one-minute walk later, there was a hut. The inside of the hut was maybe ten meters by five meters. There was a round table in there, and a dozen girls were sitting around the table. Miss Gladys said, "Sit down, make yourself at home, and listen."

After a minute, she said, "What do you hear?"

I said, "Well, the girls are knitting, sewing and crocheting. I hear the clicking of knitting needles, but not much more."

She said, "Do you hear the girls talking to each other?"

I said, "No."

“They don't talk to each other. They're disturbed, maybe even traumatized. If I told any of these girls to stop what they're doing now and tell you what they've been through to get to Kakuma camp in one piece, you wouldn't sleep for a month.” She continued, “What you can do is stop only giving sports materials and training to boys. The girls need it maybe more than the boys.”

I'm very grateful that this happened early in my career because we never again wrote a programme that wasn't gender-equal

One of the most essential skills for working with refugees is listening. Every refugee has a story, and these stories are crucial to understanding what they’ve been through and what they need to overcome. It's important to learn what being a refugee truly means if you want to volunteer effectively.

Take the example of a young African girl who was resettled to Calgary, Western Canada. Coming from a desert environment, her new surroundings were drastically different. At around 14 or 15 years old, she had a love for sports.

In Calgary, she quickly became a skilled ice skater and even joined a hockey team, excelling as a talented hockey player. How did this happen? It all started when local children invited her to join them for ice skating. Despite having never seen ice before, let alone skated on it, she courageously accepted the challenge.

This transformation was only possible because people listened to her, understood her love for sports and supported her integration into the local community. Without truly listening to refugees, we would never uncover such inspiring stories.

I once met a 16-year-old boy who fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo after witnessing his father's murder in the Central African Republic. Alone, he lost his mother during the flight, and traumatized, he had no friends or family. He could only find solace in football.

One day, he was invited home for supper by a boy in the football group, where the friend's mother welcomed him, learned his story and offered him to join them for meals every night. Eventually, she invited him to live with them, telling him to call her "mom". This is why mums are my heroes.

This story, among many others, reminds me daily of the incredible strength and resilience of refugees, particularly the mothers who hold families together against all odds. These encounters inspire me to continue our work, knowing that amidst the challenges, there are countless stories of hope and humanity that deserve to be shared and supported.

?? Your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below what surprised you the most about Claude's journey as a UNHCR volunteer or if you have any questions about this role.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. Together with over 20,000 staff working around the world, we strive for a world where every person forced to flee can build a better future.

??Stay inspired by stories like Claude's and join us in our mission to make a difference by subscribing.

See you in your inbox in two weeks,

Manting Huang (UNHCR Social Media Team)