Uplifting news: Congo refugee camp starts a kids' chess club.

Saw this on the AP today and thought y'all might be interested to know. Apparently, our beloved game has become a mental health lifeline for the children of Congolese refuges.

"The trauma suffered by children in eastern Congo is incalculable as aid agencies battle to provide food and shelter to as many of the millions that have been displaced as possible. Some of the children in the chess club have been living in the Kanyaruchinya camp for almost two years, their lives in limbo.

[...]

“The perspective of these children has changed drastically,” said Nzaji. “(They) approach life with a different mindset.”

The organizers said they noticed that most of the children would spend their days engaged in rough, war-like games, sometimes involving sticks they’d swing at each other. They hope chess offers them something other than a mimicking of the conflict they’ve grown up around."

Full Article

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