Baseball5 continues to inspire change in Kenya as WBSC and AHEEN renew partnership

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network (AHEEN) have renewed their partnership to continue supporting the development of Baseball5 in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement in Kenya. The project will now continue through to December 2026.

The Baseball5 project was created with the aim to expand the WBSC legacy initiative, to build a high performance team and a local inclusive sports structure and allow youths to transition to higher levels of education inspired by the already existing AHEEN Athletics & Education Programme.

Under the renewed agreement, the WBSC is financing the project with the support of Olympic Solidarity and will collaborate closely with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K), Kenya’s National Softball Federation and AHEEN to ensure the successful implementation of the programme, including the selection and training of participating coaches..

In line with the WBSC Mission and Strategic Plan, the initiative reflects an ongoing effort by the international governing body for Baseball/Softball to expand access to sport and strengthen its support to refugees and populations affected by displacement. Through this work, the WBSC aims to make Baseball, Softball and Baseball5 play meaningful parts in people’s lives and communities — using sport as a tool for humanitarian impact and to help shape a better world.

The results of the first year of the project show promising success:

High Performance Team

Out of the 60 players, 23 became high performance players (12 female and 11 male) while the team participated in seven friendly tournaments and one national tournament in addition to 240 training sessions.

The selected players have shown good progress and commitment during the training sessions, consistently improving in batting accuracy, agility, and tactical awareness. Each player follows a structured daily routine that includes individual training from Monday to Saturday, performing 100 bats per day to strengthen technical consistency and game readiness.

Education

The team had around 20 academic tutoring sessions covering language enhancement, long-term athletic development, life skills and sports topics. Seven out of 60 reach Level 3 out of 4 in English while the other 53 are still making progress at Level 1 and 2.

Community engagement

The team participated in three community engagement events including a tree planting exercise on 12th July at the Kalobeyei Stadium. The goals of the activity included: 

• To promote environmental conservation within Kalobeyei and its sporting community. 
• To foster collaboration between local stakeholders and the youth engaged in Baseball5. 
• To create a lasting green space that supports ecological sustainability at the Kalobeyei Stadium. 
• To set an example of sports-driven community development initiatives that inspire future partnerships and donor engagement. 

A total of 36 neem trees (Azadirachta indica) were successfully planted within the stadium grounds. The selected tree species, known for its resilience and environmental benefits, underscores the project’s long-term sustainability goals. In honour of this milestone, the designated planting area was named “Baseball5 Forest”, symbolising the intersection of sports, community and environmental conservation. 

This initiative is intended to serve as a model for future sports-led environmental actions in displacement settings and host communities. The successful tree planting exercise highlights the transformative power of sports beyond competition — as a catalyst for community development, environmental advocacy, and youth engagement. 

The team also plans to establish a tree care and monitoring programme to ensure the survival and growth of the Baseball5 Forest, making it sustainable while also developing personal life skills such as:

• Social Skills: Through team-based environmental action, Baseball5 players engaged in cooperative community service, strengthening their collaboration and civic responsibility. 
• Emotional Skills: Participating in climate-action activities fostered a sense of purpose and resilience, nurturing future-oriented thinking. 
• Creative & Physical Skills: Outdoor environmental efforts encouraged physical movement in a non-competitive context while creatively linking sport with ecological education

Core Priorities

Following the successful first year of WBSC–AHEEN collaboration, the programme will continue to focus on three core priorities:

• Strengthening performance and capacity-building,
• Providing education opportunities,
• Expanding participation, including integration with host community members.

By integrating sport and education, the WBSC–AHEEN partnership will continue to empower youth and build stronger, more inclusive communities through Baseball5.

The WBSC's urban discipline promotes key fundamental movement skills essential to physical development, while also nurturing Baseball/Softball-specific competencies such as throwing, running, teamwork, and coordination. These activities foster social, emotional and physical well-being among displaced youth, perfectly aligning with the social-emotional learning (SEL) principles. 

Baseball5 also follows the UNHCR Sport for Protection Approach by enhancing: 

(1) Child protection in strengthening young people’s protective environments and reducing their risk factors for abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence. 

(2) Youth empowerment, by identifying and encouraging the use of young people’s assets and potential. 

(3) Sport for development and peace (SDP), providing an efficient, flexible and cost-effective way of promoting peace and development across societies.