Squash Stars ElShorbagy & King Surprise Two Inspirational Refugee Girls From Squash Dreamers

Former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy and former World No.3 Joelle King visited their old club in Bristol to surprise two girls from the Squash for Development Organisation, Squash Dreamers, to hear about their stories and how squash has changed their lives. 

Squash Dreamers is an NGO based in Jordan dedicated to empowering young refugee and underprivileged girls through sports and education. They aim to educate and support them in accessing better-quality academic opportunities and achieving their dreams. 

The NGO has looked to empower refugee girls from Jordan and surrounding countries through squash, fitness, English classes, homework help, and much more. 

Daisy Van Leeuwen-Hill, Executive Director of Squash Dreamers, said: “We work with a lot of families who attend schools on shift systems who attend classes massively overwhelmed with kids, maybe like 50 kids per class.

“We support girls who are living in really tricky situations: financial situations, social situations to achieve better opportunities through scholarships.”

Fatima and Amal are two girls from the programme who won academic scholarships to attend a boarding school in the UK based on their academic achievements in Jordan. Fatima wishes to be a psychologist in the future, and Amal wants to become a translator. 

‘Always try your hardest, give it your all, and never give up,” Squash Dreamers participant Amal said.

Squash Dreamers addresses the educational barriers many girls and refugees face in Jordan, providing a better future for their participants. 

“These girls know what they want to do in the future, and they’re ready to give all of their effort to make sure it happens by studying hard and working hard,” Daisy Van Leeuwen Hill added. “They believe in themselves and they want to see what they’re able to achieve.”