OLBIOS CORRESPONDENT GERMANY & AFGHANISTAN

Oliver Percovich is Founder and Executive Director of Skateistan. Oliver first skated in an empty pool at the age of six while growing up in Papua New Guinea. In 2007 he moved to Afghanistan from Australia when his then girlfriend took a job in Kabul. Looking to explore, he would skate the city, and street-working kids would follow him around and ask to try. In 2008, Oliver founded Skateistan, a grassroots ‘Sport for Development’ project on the streets of Kabul. Today, Skateistan is an award-winning international organization with Skate Schools and programs running in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. The organization is the first international development initiative to combine skateboarding with educational outcomes. Skateistan’s programs are for children aged 5 to 17 with a focus on girls, youth living with a disability and children from low income backgrounds. Through their innovative programs, Outreach, Skate and Create, Back-to-School and Youth Leadership, Skateistan aims to give youth the opportunity to become leaders for a better world.