1. EAST AFRICA CUP PROJECT
Background
The East Africa Cup (EAC) is an annual youth sports tournament held in Moshi, Kilimanjaro – Tanzania. The participants are girls and boys between 12 – 16 years. The objective of EAC is to combine sports competition with cultural exchange and seminars about life skills and leadership.
As EAC is growing, proper coordination of the preparation process is crucial. The EAC Project was born out of the need to ensure this important task. Currently, the EAC Project coordinates the entire preparation process of Rwandese youth participation in EAC.
Brief description
The project committee is responsible for submitting annual applications to the EAC Organizing Committee concerning the number of teams and individuals to participate from Rwanda. The individuals include leaders, coaches, referees, first aiders, media crew, journalists and others representing or travelling on behalf of EAC partner organizations. Rwandese youth sports organizations that may wish to participate in EAC will in future apply to the EAC Project committee in YOSC - Rwanda. The EAC Project committee will be responsible for selecting participants from its own organization as well as choosing which other organizations (and number of participants from these organizations) that will participate in EAC. Sports and Education Officer Mbanduwimfura Regis is the current project coordinator.
Goal of the project
The goal of the EAC Project is to ensure that the entire preparation process for Rwandese youth participation in EAC goes smooth.
2011 EAC Project activities
The objective for the EAC Project is to increase quality and well coordinated sports programs for youths with 20 % in 2011. The following activities are to be carried out:
· Set a frame work for EAC 2011.
· 2010 EAC evaluation meeting.
· Selection of EAC coaches and players.
· Meetings with parents and schools.
· Training and preparation of players to EAC.
· Provide travel documents for EAC participants.
· Selection and preparation of peer leaders, referees, statisticians, media team etc.
Source: Youth Sports Contact Rwanda work plan 2011.
2. STREET KIDS PROJECT
Brief description
The Street Kids Project welcomes street kids in Karugira locality in Gikondo, Kigali into an educative sports project. Football is used as a means of gathering these children for the purpose of combining physical activity with discussions/knowledge sharing about drug abuse, types of violence, HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), leadership and other life skills issues. Sports- and community liaison officer Ngabonziza Jean Paul is the current project coordinator.
The street kids represent a vulnerable group in the Rwandese society. With improper housing, clothing, food and limited guidance from responsible adults, the street kids face many challenges in their everyday lives. Together with the abovementioned factors, living in poverty and/or being orphaned as a result of the 1994 genocide are among the causes as to why some children have become street kids in the abovementioned localities.
Goal of the project
The project aims at giving street kids positive experiences, stimuli and guidance from peers. Hopefully, this may lead to behavior change in future for these children. The goal of the project is to see reformed and active street kids integrated into normal community development initiatives.
2011 Community liaison Project objectives
· Establish a Street Kids Project committee.
· Encourage and work for increased commitment to the project among participants. This as a means of helping the street kids to develop a greater appreciation of structure in their everyday lives.
· Street Kids Project coach to work more closely with and to increase attention to captain/identified leader(s) among the participants.
· Teach leadership skills to the street kid(s) who have been identified as possible leader(s)/captain within the project.
· Continue to teach life skills to the participants. The Street Kids Project coach has the responsibility.
· Work for behavior change in the street kids
3. URUGERO GIRLS EMPOWERMENT PROJECT
“Urugero”, a term in Kinyarwanda, the native language in Rwanda, is extracted from “kuba intangarugero” which means to be an example or a role model to others.
Urugero Girls Empowerment Project has two main aims:
· To promote girls’ participation in sports- and cultural activities.
· To improve life skills, social skills and leadership skills of girls.
In many communities in Rwanda, more boys than girls participate in sports activities. Also, more boys than girls get the necessary experience that will encourage them to take part in decision-making, freely share their opinions in discussions in the public sphere, and take up roles and responsibilities as leaders.
YOSC – Rwanda believes that participation in joyful physical activities is as important for girls as it is for boys. The organization also believes that girls, on the same level as boys, deserve the opportunities and the chance of acquiring the skills that can enable them to participate effectively in society. Urugero Girls Empowerment Project aims to achieve both.
In each training/activity session, joyful physical activity is combined with an educational element of discussion/knowledge sharing. Sexual and reproductive health (SRH), HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse, drug abuse and types of violence are among the topics addressed.
As part of YOSC – Rwanda’s focus on capacity building of its volunteers and leaders, some of the girls in the Urugero Girls Empowerment Project are offered to attend leadership workshops that purposely address crucial leadership skills and knowledge.
2011 Urugero Girls Empowerment Project
The 2011 objective of Urugero Girls Empowerment Project is to increase girls’ participation in project activities and leadership by 20 %. Activities for girls organized, more than 250 girls trained and capacity building of leaders conduced is the targeted output. The following activities are to be carried out:
· Organize girls’ only sports activities, trainings, tournaments etc.
· Organize cultural activities for the girls in music, dance, poems etc.
· Girls’ participation in national and regional tournaments and events.
· Conduct leadership, life skills and Kicking Aids Out (KAO) trainings to the girls.
· Recruit and train girls’ leaders to lead their own project.
Source: Youth Sports Contact Rwanda work plan 2011
· Develop a leadership curriculum and workshop material for use in leadership trainings of chosen girls by May 2011.
· Conduct workshops and leadership trainings for the same girls by May 2011.
4. YOUTH LEAGUE PROJECT
Brief description
Youth Football League is a league for U13 and U16 boys’ football teams. Currently, the league operates in zones in Kigali. Youth Football League runs on an annual basis from February – November. Any boys’ team in the abovementioned age categories can participate.
The Youth Football League is unique in Rwanda as the country has previously had no organized football league for U13 and U16 boys. The objective of the league is to offer opportunities for youths to join a team and to participate in an organized league. ‘’Enhancing youth’s potentials through sports’’, is the theme of the league.
In addition to improved sports skills, Youth Football League aims at empowering youths with life skills and leadership knowledge. A principle in Youth Sports Contact (YOSC – Rwanda) is the integration of life skill discussion/knowledge sharing in activities and trainings. Issues addressed include HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), sexual abuse, drug abuse and types of violence. YOSC teams that participate in the league carry the responsibility to fulfill the task of implementing life skills in activities and trainings. Other teams that participate in the league get the opportunity to gain life skills during special arrangements like the league final. The combined focus on sports and education brings uniqueness to the Youth Football League and assists in striving towards the vision of Youth Sports Contact Rwanda: “transformed and actively engaged youths in Rwanda”.
The Youth Football League committee, with the help of others in YOSC – Rwanda, ensures that league referees and first aiders have the competence that they need in order to ensure that league matches are well managed. As a means of building the competence of its referees and first aiders, YOSC – Rwanda arranges workshops for volunteers with the abovementioned responsibilities. YOSC – Rwanda Kigali District Coordinator Thomson Ndikuriyo is the Project Coordinator of Youth Football League.
In 2010, 27 teams were registered for the Youth Football League.
2011 Youth Football League activities
Youth Sports Contact Rwanda’s overall goal for 2011 is to improve sports skills and life skills of 4,000 youths in Rwanda. The objective for Youth Football League in particular is to increase quality and well coordinated sports programs for youths with 20 %. The following activities are to be carried out:
· 30 % increase of registered teams in the league.
· Organize one inter-zonal championship.
· Organize one inter-zonal All Stars tournament.
· Organize one mixed gender tournament.
· Form teams in basketball and volleyball.
· All Stars teams participate in national and regional tournaments.
· Monthly and quarterly monitoring and evaluation and reporting.
Source: Youth Sports Contact Rwanda work plan 2011
Last updated: 28.02.2011
