Refugee

2 July 2023 - Hyannis Port, Massachusetts: As part of a shared commitment to inclusion and community service across the world, Special Olympics and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) signed a historic five-year partnership agreement that will provide sustained services, support and empowerment to the global population of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

She was given-up upon birth once her parents recognized she had a severe and profound intellectual disability. She was left on the doorsteps of a Ukrainian orphanage—mostly invisible to the outside world and largely forgotten, too.

Members of a refugee camp share how Unified Schools have benefited the lives of people of all abilities in their community.

World Refugee Day is celebrated on 20 June to recognize individuals and families who have had to flee their homes in seek of safety.

Ionut, 25, and Edi, 30, have joined hundreds of volunteers who help Ukrainian refugees transiting through Romania to other countries in Europe.

Special Olympics Advisor and advocate for Unified with Refugees programme, Gerald Mballe has been shortlisted for the Integration of Refugees Through Sport Award (IRTS) Role Model Award.

From Brussels to Nairobi and from Tuzla to Turin and beyond, the Special Olympics Unified with Refugees program continues to expand its reach in affording Special Olympics athletes and refugee youth alike the opportunity to come together and Play Unified.

Doctor, an athlete in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp, has grown as a teammate, leader, and friend thanks to the Play Unified: Learn Unified initiative.

Gerald Mballe, long time Special Olympics Italy Unified Partner and now Advisor for Special Olympics Europe Eurasia, shares a powerful and moving conversation about his life and sport with David Eades on Sports for Humanity's podcast, Live Like You Play.