ANTA Group and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency announced on October 11 a new global partnership focused on empowering displaced children and youth through the lifechanging potential of education and sports. 

Lai Shixian (L), executive director and co-CEO of ANTA Group, and Tina Friis Hansen, global head of UNHCR's Private Sector Partnerships Service. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Lai Shixian, executive director and co-CEO of ANTA Group, and Tina Friis Hansen, global head of UNHCR's Private Sector Partnerships Service signed the agreement for the new global partnership, Moving for Change.          

The three-year partnership, called 'Moving for Change', will support UNHCR's Primary Impact programming, to improve access to primary education, sports, teaching and learning resources; and to enhance child well-being, resilience and learning readiness through in-kind and cash donation. The donation will support displaced young people in Malaysia, Thailand, Burundi and more across the globe. 

"ANTA Group is proud to partner with UNHCR to bring the power and joy of sports and education to displaced children and young people around the world," said Lai Shixian. "As a global citizen, it's ANTA Group's responsibility to contribute to global humanitarian assistance. Over the past 16 years, ANTA has donated more than 2.2 billion yuan to philanthropic programs and humanitarian aid. This is our first global corporate social responsibility initiative, and we could not ask for a better-positioned partner to ensure we can support some of the most pressing challenges facing our world today. We look forward to partnering with UNHCR and playing a part in realizing sustainable development through enabling quality education and equal opportunities for vulnerable children and youth."

In displacement settings, sports and play-based programming have been used effectively as part of child protection, education and psychosocial well-being interventions. As such, Moving for Change aims to reach 300,000 children and youth who have been affected by displacement across the world by 2025. 

Will Wang, vice president of ANTA Group and chairman and president of ANTA SEA, and Thomas Albrecht, UNHCR Representative in Malaysia, exchange gifts at the launch of the new global partnership, Moving for Change.        

"Private sector partnerships like the one with ANTA Group play an important role in helping forcibly displaced children and youth access quality education and build brighter futures," said Tina Friis Hansen. 

The global partnership between UNHCR and ANTA Group serves Sustainable Development Goals No. 4 (Quality Education) and No. 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Keane Shum, UNHCR Malaysia Senior Protection Officer, handed part of the contribution from the Moving for Change partnership to Tony Avbiorokoma, a sports coach at the MSRI learning center for refugee children in Kuala Lumpur.

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