Mohammed Annour escaped civil war in Sudan at age nine, surviving in an overcrowded Chad refugee camp before founders Katie-Jay Scott and Gabriel Stauring of the South Bay humanitarian group iACT introduced soccer programs that eventually helped him relocate to Sweden, where budget cuts now threaten such programs worldwide.
Budget Cuts Squeeze Funding for iACT Refugee Programs
- Federal and international budget cuts, including USAID rollbacks and a June 2025 Chadian travel ban, are squeezing funding for refugee-led programs like iACT.
- Founded by Redondo Beach activists Scott and Stauring—who died in a 2021 Manhattan Beach car crash—iACT uses soccer and preschool education to support over 5,000 children across four countries.
- Filmmaker Darren Hamlin is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund a documentary highlighting former refugee players now living and playing soccer in Sweden.
Global Funding Cuts Threaten iACT Refugee Programs
The humanitarian organization iACT, established by late Redondo Beach activists Katie-Jay Scott and Gabriel Stauring, is facing severe financial strain amid a broad international backlash against refugees and migrants. According to reporting by latimes.com and yahoo.com, the second Trump administration has sharply restricted immigration and asylum access while drastically cutting congressionally approved spending for life-sustaining programs previously funded through USAID. European nations have adopted similar measures, slashing development assistance support by 13.8% in 2025.
The financial squeeze is compounded by geopolitical friction. In June 2025, the U.S. instituted a travel ban and entry restriction list targeting Chad, prompting the Chadian government to retaliate by revoking visas for American citizens, including aid workers. Merri Weir, a retired teacher and iACT board member since 2016, noted in the latimes.com reporting that fundraising has become significantly more difficult due to the gutting of USAID and intense competition with larger non-governmental organizations for shrinking foundation grants.
Origins in the Darfur Crisis and Expansion Across Continents
Scott and Stauring founded iACT to address the crisis in Darfur, a semi-desert plateau in western Sudan marked by decades of conflict. Arriving in Chad in 2011, the founders listened to refugees who said they needed recreation, structure, and joy alongside basic food and shelter. Annour, who fled Sudan in 2003, recalled to latimes.com that the founders treated refugees as human beings rather than mere statistics.
Though Stauring and Scott died in a Manhattan Beach car accident five years ago, their initiative expanded significantly. Today, iACT supports over 5,000 children participating in soccer academies across Chad, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Mexico. An additional 1,800 children are enrolled in the Little Ripples preschool program, which served 475,000 meals last year, according to latimes.com and yahoo.com reporting.
| Program Metric | Current Reach / Statistics |
|---|---|
| Soccer Academy Participants | Over 5,000 children across 4 countries (Chad, CAR, Cameroon, Mexico) |
| Little Ripples Preschool Enrollment | 1,800 children |
| Meals Served (Little Ripples) | 475,000 meals last year |
| Documentary Fundraising Goal | $66,000 via Kickstarter |
From Refugee Camps to Swedish Soccer Leagues
In 2014, iACT formed Darfur United, a 20-man team of stateless players from 12 camps that competed in the CONIFA World Football Cup in Östersund, Sweden. While outscored 39-0 in their matches, many players, including Annour and Moubarak Abdallah, chose to stay in Sweden after receiving asylum. They integrated into the local community and formed the Mighty Cosmos, a team playing in Sweden’s fifth division.
Alan Barker, chairman of the Mighty Cosmos, praised Abdallah as a reliable natural leader and described Annour as a dedicated player committed to fair play despite knee injuries.
