The Barça Foundation and Mexican actor Alfonso Herrera visit refugee settlements in Uganda to support the work of UNHCR/ACNUR

The FC Barcelona Foundation and Mexican actor Alfonso Herrera, a UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR/ACNUR) Goodwill Ambassador, have carried out a week-long visit to the Nakivale and Oruchinga refugee settlements in Uganda. This visit is part of the collaboration agreement between FC Barcelona and UNHCR/ACNUR, signed in 2022. Alfonso Herrera joined the delegation alongside Barça Foundation Director General Dr. Marta Segú. Alfonso Herrera joined up with the Barça Foundation to highlight the impact sport can have for refugees in Uganda.

Uganda is the African country which receives the highest number of refugees and is home to over 1.8 million people forced to flee from the Republic of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and the Republic of Sudan, amongst others. Since January, over 30,000 people have arrived from DR Congo via multiple points on the border, a 450% increase compared to the same period last year. Now more than ever, countries like Uganda which are receiving refugees need urgent support, to be able to continue to generously host those who are forcibly displaced from their homes. Donations only made up 46% of the 857 million dollars called for to help tackle the refugee situation in Uganda during 2024-25.

Sport as hope

“I’ve met a lot of young refugees who have experienced loss and are facing mental-health challenges,” said Alfonso Herrera, reflecting on the visit. “Through sport they’ve found [a sense of] belonging and community. They race to get to the football pitch after school, keen to play sport and spend time together. Sport is also an excellent way to prevent early school drop-out. Through my work with UNHCR/ACNUR as a Goodwill Ambassador and my passion for football and FC Barcelona, I’ve been moved by the incredible impact that sport can have in the lives of refugees.”

The actor met with refugees from both DR Congo and the Republic of the Sudan. “There are people arriving in Uganda every day. A lot of them arrive ill, malnourished and burdened by the horrors of war. The majority are women and children,” he continued.” UNHCR/ACNUR provides life-saving support - food, water, shelter - to help families to survive and begin to recover. This is just one example of the critical work that UNHCR/ACNUR do, to guarantee that this work can continue.”

“When visiting this joint program in Uganda, which has been in place for two years, we’ve seen the positive impact that sport can have as a tool for improving the lives of children and young people,” said the Director General of the Barça Foundation, Dr. Marta Segú. “Through sport we could also see the benefits to the children’s wellbeing. Sport is a tool that’s magical in the moment and even more so for the future.”

Over the course of the visit, Herrera and Dr. Segú visited projects funded by the Barça Foundation in the Nakivale and Oruchinga refugee settlements, as part of the organisation’s efforts to support UNHCR/ACNUR and refugees across the globe.

Alliance with ACNUR

The project in Uganda forms part of an agreement between UNHCR/ACNUR, its national association in Spain (ACNUR comité español), FC Barcelona and the FC Barcelona Foundation. Launched in 2022, the collaboration helps drive sport-based initiatives for refugee children and young people on four continents, including in the countries of Uganda, El Salvador, Türkiye and Malaysia.

The project in Uganda specifically supports young refugees and host communities. More than 8,400 children and young people have benefitted so far from this sporting program, which provides a safe space to play, learn and heal.

The alliance between UNHCR/ACNUR and FC Barcelona, made visible by the organisation’s logo on the back of the shirts of the men and women first-team football squad, also aims to increase the awareness of football fans around the world and inspire the sporting community as a whole to support people who have been forcibly displaced.