Sports, refugee clubhouses and a new idea of hospitality with Jan van Hövell

Survival requires food and water, but spirit craves community. By building sports clubs inside refugee camps, KLABU creates places where people can gather, play and regain a sense of normal life amid displacement. KLABU’s founder Jan van Hövell explains how these clubhouses are set up in crisis zones, why sports help build communities and how KLABU and Mews are collaborating to support indigenous Venezuelan refugees in Boa Vista, Brazil.


Jan van Hövell is the founder of KLABU, an organization that builds sports clubs to support refugee communities around the world. With a background in law and experience at the UNHCR, he is dedicated to creating long-term impact through sport.


Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0


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00:00 – Jan’s early experience working with refugees

08:02 – Life in a refugee camp

11:24 – Leaving corporate law for hospitality

15:00 – The inspiration behind KLABU

17:37 – How sport impacts refugees

19:50 – Building the first clubhouse

30:56 – How the Mews-KLABU partnership plays out

Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so