Refugees paddle for inclusion in Seville

Fleeing war, Anastasia crossed a continent by train to reach Seville in southern Spain. Aliou spent days at sea on a dangerous journey to the Canary Islands to escape persecution. While their countries of origin are thousands of kilometres apart and they speak different languages, in Seville they have discovered a common passion: canoeing along the Guadalquivir River which flows through the city.

Just over two years ago, Anastasia was in her first year of a journalism degree at the University in Kyiv, living with her mother and younger sister, and leading the normal life of an 18-year-old girl. But one February morning, her life, like that of millions of Ukrainians, took a dramatic turn.

At the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Anastasia and her family took refuge in a metro station. But after a week of anguish and uncertainty, they decided they had to leave. A woman they had met in the metro suggested they go to Seville together, where her friend had offered them a place to stay. After days of travel, nights spent in train stations and thousands of kilometres, Anastasia recalls arriving in a city of clear, blue skies "where we could finally breathe".

At the beginning, it was not easy: adjusting to a new place and an unknown language while dealing with the pain of having left their loved ones and their country behind. But Anastasia was determined to learn Spanish and move forward, and the family received support from the Spanish NGO Accem.

It was through Accem that Anastasia, her mother, and her sister learned about The Crew Together, a project of Dársena Deportiva Sevilla, a non-profit association that promotes water-based sports as a tool for social inclusion.

Breaking down barriers

After bringing canoeing to vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities and victims of violence, Dársena Deportiva Sevilla successfully launched its first project with refugees in the autumn of 2023, fulfilling a commitment it had made at the Spain with Refugees Forum organized by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, earlier that year. "We realized that to make an impact we could not do a one-off activity. The real impact is when people develop a relationship with this space, [and] get to know different people," explains the association's president José Viñas.

The need was clear, he adds: refugees and asylum-seekers struggle to access sport, either due to economic and social factors or lack of knowledge, while water sports have enormous potential to help them integrate into the city and to improve their physical and mental health.

In recent days, the whole world has witnessed the power of sports to break down barriers and shift attitudes as the Refugee Olympic Team has competed at the Paris 2024 Games. Four members of the 37-strong team are canoeists, including Amir Rezanejad Hassanjani who said the canoeing club where he has trained since arriving in Germany in 2021 has become like family.

Ahead of the Olympics, UNHCR Chief Filippo Grandi described sport as vital for millions of refugees and other forcibly displaced people. "It brings people together, benefits mental and physical health, gives children positive role models, and teaches valuable life lessons," he said.

• See also: Largest-ever Refugee Olympic Team makes its entrance as Paris Games open

Since arriving in Seville, Anastasia had watched boats crossing the Guadalquivir, and wished she was on one of them. She admits to feeling a little nervous on the day of her first canoeing class "but also full of energy and adrenaline because I was finally going to try it".

Once the paddle was in her hands and she was in the water, her anxieties fell away. "For an hour I forgot all the things I was worried about - work, studies, the war - and I was able to relax."

Paddling together

Anastasia is one of the 300 refugees and asylum-seekers who have now participated in The Crew Together. Each session of some 20 participants starts with warm-up games and exercises designed to foster connections. Volunteers and instructors, numbering between four and six per class, then lead a group of children and adults. Everyone wears the same shirt, symbolizing that in The Crew, everyone is equal.

"Through looks, gestures, words, we communicate very well," says Andrés, one of the instructors. "This sport is a work of cooperation - if we don't all paddle at the same pace, the canoe doesn't move forward. It's like life: whatever happens, you must paddle."

In addition to UNHCR, the initiative relies on the support of public institutions in Andalusia, NGOs, universities in Seville, as well as the Sevilla Rowing Club, and the Andalusian Canoeing Federation.

Proof of its impact is that people who started as participants have ended up joining as volunteers. This was the case for Aliou, a 27-year-old graphic designer, who arrived in Seville from Senegal in October 2023, after passing through the Canary Islands. After less than a year in the city, Aliou already feels at home, partly thanks to the camaraderie he has found through the canoeing project.

After enduring a journey full of risks at sea, the water now has a liberating, almost therapeutic effect. "I feel free. I don't worry about problems; I don't worry about anything, just about the paddle and doing sports," he says with a smile. Although he is passionate about the sport, he highlights teamwork and the contact with people from other cultures as the most positive aspects of the project.

Perhaps the other secret to The Crew Together's success is the opportunity to discover Seville from another perspective while learning about its traditions through local instructors and volunteers.

"Paddling along the Guadalquivir canal helps me fall in love with Seville over and over again," says Anastasia.