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Photos: Soccer steers South Sudanese refugees to a new goal in life

A South Sudanese refugee boy repairs an old soccer ball with thread, in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. In a bid to keep young people busy, the International Rescue Committee and other aid groups are hosting inter-village competitions meant to forge unity among the refugees, most of whom recently fled to Uganda to escape civil war. At Bidi Bidi, the world’s largest refugee settlement, youth from South Sudan are drawn to soccer, a rare source of entertainment in an otherwise dreary existence. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on: Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM IST

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A South Sudanese refugee boy repairs an old soccer ball with thread, in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. In a bid to keep young people busy, the International Rescue Committee and other aid groups are hosting inter-village competitions meant to forge unity among the refugees, most of whom recently fled to Uganda to escape civil war. At Bidi Bidi, the world’s largest refugee settlement, youth from South Sudan are drawn to soccer, a rare source of entertainment in an otherwise dreary existence. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

A South Sudanese refugee boy repairs an old soccer ball with thread, in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. In a bid to keep young people busy, the International Rescue Committee and other aid groups are hosting inter-village competitions meant to forge unity among the refugees, most of whom recently fled to Uganda to escape civil war. At Bidi Bidi, the world’s largest refugee settlement, youth from South Sudan are drawn to soccer, a rare source of entertainment in an otherwise dreary existence. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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A South Sudanese refugee soccer player laces his boots as he prepares for a match. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

A South Sudanese refugee soccer player laces his boots as he prepares for a match. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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Soccer fields can be found across Bidi Bidi settlement and even more are being created, underscoring the importance of sport in a community trying to forget the horrors of war. Many here have lost close relatives since the start in December 2013 of South Sudan’s conflict, which has often been waged along ethnic lines and in which tens of thousands of people have been killed. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

Soccer fields can be found across Bidi Bidi settlement and even more are being created, underscoring the importance of sport in a community trying to forget the horrors of war. Many here have lost close relatives since the start in December 2013 of South Sudan’s conflict, which has often been waged along ethnic lines and in which tens of thousands of people have been killed. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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A player listens to instructions from her coach during a match between refugee women's soccer teams ‘Iyete Centra’ and ‘Salvation FC’ in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

A player listens to instructions from her coach during a match between refugee women's soccer teams ‘Iyete Centra’ and ‘Salvation FC’ in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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A refugee boy pumps up an old soccer ball, in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

A refugee boy pumps up an old soccer ball, in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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A South Sudanese refugee boy holds a makeshift ball as he plays with his friends. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

A South Sudanese refugee boy holds a makeshift ball as he plays with his friends. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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Bidi Bidi is now home to over 270,000 refugees, most of them women and children, according to the United Nations refugee agency. They are among nearly one million South Sudanese now sheltering in Uganda, most having arrived in the past year. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

Bidi Bidi is now home to over 270,000 refugees, most of them women and children, according to the United Nations refugee agency. They are among nearly one million South Sudanese now sheltering in Uganda, most having arrived in the past year. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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Uganda’s government and the U.N. are appealing for $8 billion to deal with what has been called the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

Uganda’s government and the U.N. are appealing for $8 billion to deal with what has been called the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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A refugee soccer player plays barefoot and bandaged during a match in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

A refugee soccer player plays barefoot and bandaged during a match in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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Boys sit on the branches of a tree to get a view of a match. (Ben Curtis / AP)

Updated on Jun 28, 2017 10:02 AM

Boys sit on the branches of a tree to get a view of a match. (Ben Curtis / AP)

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