KLABU
Building the world’s biggest sports club for refugees from the ground up
My role
Brand Direction, Product Development, Community, Partnerships & Growth
Period
2019 - 2021
About
Founded in 2018 by Jan van Hövell, KLABU is a sports foundation whose mission is to use the power of sport and community to support refugees on their way to a better future. Supporting the unbeatable spirit of refugees by building sports clubs in refugee camps and creating sportswear to fund them. KLABU opened its first sports club in the Kalobeyei refugee settlement (population of 36,000) in northern Kenya, where previously sports initiatives were near non-existent. The club provides facilities, sports equipment and clothing through an innovative library system. Although sports cannot solve all challenges refugees face, they do bring people together and can ultimately make ‘away’ feel more like ‘home’. Visit www.klabu.com to find out more. Welcome to the KLABU.
Momentum
From one sports club in Kalobeyei, Kenya to a growing global movement for refugees.
What I worked on
I joined KLABU at an early stage, working alongside the founding team to build the organisation and shape its growth from the ground up. My role spanned brand, product, campaigns, community and partnerships, connecting ideas, people and opportunities to define how KLABU developed and showed up in the world. From developing the sportswear and product offering to shaping campaigns, building partnerships and creating community initiatives and experiences.
Credits
KLABU Founder: Jan van Hövell Creative Director & Brand Co-Founder: Kelvin Govey Founding Board Member: Charlotte Jongejan Partners Campaign: Wieden+Kennedy Apparel & Production: Stamperia Alicese, State of Football, Avery Dennison, Colab Consulting
