When we play rugby everyone smiles..
6 Regional winners traveled to Huye in Septemebr for the 2017 edition of finals. After winning their way through from their regional tournaments TTC (Rusizi), ST Nicolas (Huye), St Trinity (Ruhango), GS Gitarama (Muhanga), ASPEKA (Kigali) and NYANZA Technical School (Nyanza) competed to become champions of Rwanda. GS Gitarama came out winners at the end of the day and all teams, coaches and officials enjoyed a fantastic day of rugby.
Please take a look at a nice article about FoRR and the charity’s journey on the CNN site :
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/08/sport/rwanda-rugby-post-genocide/
IT STARTS OUT : An estimated one million people were killed during a 100-day period, among them Tharcisse’s father and two brothers. Aged 13, he was forced to flee his home and then the supposed safe shelter of a camp to stay alive with his mother, sisters and remaining brothers. However, he has been able to slowly and steadily heal his emotional wounds thanks to an unlikely source of solace — the game of rugby. “With rugby, I feel alive,” says Tharcisse, one of the country’s first players, a former international with national side the Silverbacks, and now the general secretary of Rwandan Rugby. “I feel like I’m running to the future,” he adds. “It can bring you great joy and you don’t think about the past. When rugby started here, people were still thinking about the past, about the genocide. The game just brings so much unity with other people.”
Prior to 2001, rugby barely existed in the “Land of a Thousand Hills.” Bar the occasional game between ex-pats, it was unheard of in the East African country. Football was king, and still is — the other key sports in Rwanda being basketball, volleyball and cycling. But that all changed in 2001, with the visit of a British charity worker seeking to find a purpose in life. Emma Rees was unsure what to do after completing her university degree, and traveled to Rwanda with Voluntary Service Overseas. She started throwing around a rugby ball with school kids, and has since become a sort of modern-day William Webb Ellis — the schoolboy credited as being rugby’s original founder in the 1820s — for one particular country. Rees first took the game to schools, and the following year the Ministry of Sport granted approval for the formation of the Rwandan Rugby Federation. Two years later the Friends of Rwandan Rugby charity was formed………..
Nice to hear that we are building great relationships through brilliant rugby stakeholders from the land of the leeks!! Click on the below link if you want to see the “Shiny Photo’s & All Version”
http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/37607879
Two Welsh volunteers kick-start Rwandan rugby revolution By Lauren Jenkins BBC Wales Sport When volunteer Glyn Watkins was asked to hold a rugby training session in a school in western Rwanda, he was not expecting to be greeted by 200 pupils. "Help," was the message he mouthed to his wife, Mary, as he stood holding a single ball. Two years later Glyn and Mary are back in Wales and can only watch through a computer screen as a handful of those pupils take to the field for the final of the Rwandan National League. What began as a trial training session has developed into a way of life for many young people growing up in a country still tainted by the 1994 genocide. Mary and Glyn Watkins were volunteering as teachers at TTC Mururu school in Rwanda in early 2014 when the principal of the college invited them to dinner. "I know the Welsh are not very good at football, but you're good at rugby," was the candid conversation starter that led to the school's first training session. How quickly things can change in sport. Glyn had never previously coached rugby at any level, but his befitting birthplace granted him all the credibility he needed. The school's single ball would not suffice so the couple travelled six hours through the Nyungwe rainforest to seek assistance from Friends of Rwandan Rugby, a small charity started by Emma Rees - a former student and rugby player of Aberystwyth University - which promotes the sport in Rwanda. Players mark the pitch with sawdust before kick-off. They returned with three balls and the commitment of a few rugby development officers who would soon visit the school to coach the players. This led to Mururu's participation in its first inter-schools national competition in which they finished fourth. Word spread quickly and soon Mary found herself at the heart of her first international friendly. "We were right on the Congo border and they heard about the training Glyn was doing, the next thing we knew we had a load of Congolese turn up," Mary said. "I think that was the first Congo versus Rwanda international. The only problem was that the border closes at 6pm and it was about a 20 minute run for them to get back. So at half-past-five they would all disappear." Border control wasn't the only obstacle to overcome. The pupils were also all too poor to afford any proper kit. "In fairness to these lads, they don't have any money, they had one T-shirt for PE lessons and they complained they were getting ripped. So Caldicot RFC offered us some kit. Caerleon and Bedlinog RFC also helped out." The team at least looked the part even if the pitch did not meet usual standards. Initially the markings were fictional which became the source of much dissent among opposing teams when tries were awarded. "One game was delayed because none of the markings were set out and we had to wait for a guy to arrive on a bike that was loaded with sawdust - all the boys dived in and marked out the lines. They play on a football pitch in which they strap massive bamboo poles to the posts to make rugby posts. I've also seen games played where the referee's flag is a leafy twig." Mary added. By the end of 2015 many of the students had graduated but the team's captain Donatien Ufitimfura could not entertain the idea of life without rugby. "I was wondering how am I going to spend two months of the holiday without playing the game so I came up with the idea of creating a team," he said. "I started coaching newcomers from my district Rusizi and worked hard to increase the number of people interested in the sport." From here Rusizi Resilience was born. The team became the eighth member of the country's national league which led to its official recognition by World Rugby. The only problem? They had only ever played sevens in school and their first 15-a-side match was a competitive game in the national league. However, they won that match 36-6 against Muhanga RFC. The team went on to win every match of their opening season until the league's final against Thousand Hills RFC on Saturday which they lost 45-0. Mary arranged for the team to play in Oakdale RFC kit and is proud of their achievement. "The team they were playing on Saturday is made up almost exclusively of international players. What Donatien has done is incredible," she said. "He stood out from the very first training session for us. He is a very intelligent young man and he does an awful lot of research." Donatien was invited to train with the national team, but fell just short of making the final squad. He has turned down the opportunity to attend university to take up a post as a rugby development officer with 'Friends of Rwandan Rugby.' He has already set up tag rugby teams in eight local primary schools. Past grievances For a country with such a turbulent history as Rwanda, Mary was quick to discover that rugby provided the pupils with a refuge, free from any painful historical references. "Rugby is a post-genocide sport. When you were out there you realised that everyone was affected," Mary said. "There were a lot of people that were killed in football stadiums. In village football sides you'd maybe play opposition that maybe killed your family". "All the sports can be tainted but there are no bad memories associated with rugby." Donatien admits the sport has become much more than a pastime. "Rugby has eased the wound of genocide especially for the youth. Rugby has contributed for developing the sociability of Rwandans," he said. "I could not envisage life without it. Only war, disaster or other conditions out of my control could stop me from playing now. "Nobody can forget it all because what happened was so bad, but rugby can help me forget all the bad things I have seen. "When I play rugby I can feel nothing in my heart but enjoyment."
Well, our 9th coaching trip has been concluded. This takes our figures to 89 coaches travelling to Rwanda over 9 years to contribute to the Rwandan rugby scene.
This year they delivered 369 shirts, 175 balls, 22 trophies, 252 medals, 22 sets of TAGs, 194 cones, 14 pumps and 31 bibs. Not bad when you consider we also delivered 4 tournaments, 2 referee coaching workshops, 4 teaching-the-teacher sessions at Rusizi College as well as sessions with the newly formed club, Rusizi Resilience.
Great work from our 12 Volunteers and all of our staff and supporters in Rwanda.
Where should we go for our 10th year in May 2017????
We are deep into tournament season. Take a look at the tournament page to see the winners of our 23 tournaments due for delivery by the close of 2015. The recent first aid workshop was a huge hit with teams from all over the country sending representatives to learn rugby 1st Aid. But perhaps the highlight of recent times has been the success of Rwandan teams at the Federation of East African Schools rugby tournament. Congratulations must go to GS St Famillie who were the tournament champions. Incredible achievement by these guys. Also well done to ET Mikingi for winning the Bowl Final.
FoRR hopes to continue the development of an understanding of the laws of the game through the purchase of massive amounts of law books. We have ambition for every school and team in the country to hold their own copy. A huge task to distribute but it will be great to see so many empowered with technical detail and an opportunity to learn.
We are delighted to announce the employment of new RDOs for 5 rural regions across Rwanda. Our coaches are working to teach students and staff the laws of rugby. They are dedicated to delivering regular coaching sessions and organising friendly fixtures, league games and tournaments for primary students and secondary students. They also work as community leaders in the development of new adult rugby clubs so there is a pathway for all Rwandans to develop a life long love for rugby. Our staff now works in the following regions:
KARONGI – MUHIRE Ancelme
RUHANGO – ZABAYO Joseph
RWAMAGANA – HAKIZIMANA Jean de Dieu
MUSANZE – TUYISENGE Jean Luc
GAKENKE – UMUTONI Jean Marie Vianney
HUYE – MUDAHERANWA Jean Claude
MUHANGA – HAKIZIMANA Laurien
KIGALI – THARCISSE Kamanda
The 8th annual coaching trip has returned home after completing their voluntary work in Rwanda. This year eight British coaches ventured north to Musanze to deliver coaching, equipment and a tournament to the primary schools of that district. In addition 300 jerseys, 316 balls and 230 tag belts were left for FoRR staff to replenish stocks in all of our schools right across the country. Finally this trip gave us an opportunity to assess new applicants for the expansion of our RDO staff. We will be making new appointments ready to commence on the 1st of May!
FoRR is delighted to work with a range of groups across the country. It is particularly special to work with some of the most disadvantaged youth to bring them some joy and belief that they are part of our wonderful rugby community. Recently we received this note from Sean Jones who is the executive director of the Rwandan Orphans Project:
Dear FoRR team,
I just wanted to express our gratitude for allowing our boys to participate in Saturday’s rugby tournament here in Kigali. Our boys were so excited when they left our center that we could hear them shouting and singing on the bus for quite a while as the they drove down the road. Our boys took second place overall and when I arrived at the ROP Center this morning they all rushed to me to show me their shiny medals. They were so proud and happy and I can’t thank you all enough for giving them that opportunity. Thanks also for providing the transportation and snacks for them after the tournament. We’re so appreciate of our partnership with you and thankful for your support over the years. I would also like to thank Kamanda for being such a great role model for our kids and such a wonderful ambassador for your organization. Our boys really love him and he is very, very good with them.
FROM FoRR program manager:
The tournament went well but unfortunately ES NYARUTOVU didn’t participate because of their Headmaster, who is not organized.
The teams were divided into the two following pools
Pool A: ET MUKINGI, ACEJ KARAMA, RUSHAKI COLLEGE, EAV KABUTURE.
POOL B: GS St FAMILLE, APICUR, ETO GITARAMA.
The teams played each other in their pools and 4 teams qualified into the semi finals including:
ET MUKINI 35 VS APICUR 0 and GS St FAMMILLE 33 VS EAV KABUTARE 5
The final match ended with a victory to ET MUKINGI 24 – 12 as the winning team of FoRR 2014 Schools seven-a-side tournament.
The games were refereed by the RDO`s and were kindly assistance by Andrew Kettlewell (International Referee) from the UK.
The event attended by the President of Rwandan Rugby Federation who presented the trophies to the Winning team.
After 8 weeks of intensive coaching sessions delivered by 4 of our rugby development officers the trainee teachers of TTC Mururu have an opportunity to further enhance their understanding of rugby by participating in their first fixture. FoRR has facilitated the movement of the whole squad on a road trip to compete against CEFOTEC this Saturday. Although it is an epic 8 hour round trip to compete there is great enthusiasm by the group to put into practice skills that they have recently learnt. We hope this experience will kindle a passion for rugby that these teachers will then carry throughout their careers and pass onto classes on Rwandan school children!
Oxford University recently got in touch and wanted to help with a huge kit donation for Rwanda. FoRR was delighted to receive the first batch from these wonderful guys. See below a little article from their website. Full version is at http://www.ourfc.org/NewsItem.aspx?ID=2188
The annual summer ‘clear out’ of cupboards, kit rooms, changing rooms etc. at Iffley Road harvested a vast array of kit which thanks to the help of George Merry from local club Alchester RFC, will make it’s way to Rwanda. The kit collected included balls, bibs, water bottles, playing kit, casual kit, boots and kicking tees. For further information on how the kit will be used or if you wish to donate any from your club, then please click on the link below: http://friendsofrwandanrugby.org.uk
In August 2013 Keith Wallace contacted Friends of Rwandan Rugby to find out more about our organisation and see if there were ways that he could help FoRR and rugby generally in Rwanda. Throughout the past 11 months during countless phone calls and almost a hundred emails this partnership is a week away from starting to deliver the fruits of that labour. Keith will be travelling to Rwanda with approximately 200kgs of rugby equipment. He will be there as part of a tour organised by the King Penguins, a group of “mature” rugby players that compete in matches and promote the training of youngsters in the skills of rugby as well as providing coaching to the communities they visit. In addition to this immediate injection of materials the infrastructure and finance has been developed to seek and employ an administrator for the Federation of Rwandan Rugby. This full time salaried position will enable the Federation of Rwandan Rugby to drive towards developing the game across Rwanda and its goal of securing full member status from the IRB. Applications for the position will be opened shortly and once in place the Administrator will orchestrate the various component of the sport in collaboration with the existing six FoRR rugby development officers under the overall control of the committee of the Federation of Rwandan Rugby. FoRR is delighted to have facilitated this sponsorship by the King Penguins to increase the capacity of the Federation of Rwandan Rugby and looks forward to improved delivery of competitions and opportunities for all Rwandan rugby players as a result.
In early May 2014 FoRR received contact from a VSO volunteer, Glyn Watkins. He had been working out in the west of Rwanda closely associated with TTC Mururu. The TTC stands for Teacher Training College. You can imagine our excitement at the prospect of being invited into this environment to deliver regular weekly coaching sessions to a wide range of teachers that will eventually be placed in schools all across the country. Quickly a plan was developed and a proposal created that will see FoRR rugby development officers travelling the 6 hour journey out to Rusizi on a rotational basis, staying 2 nights and delivering a sequence of sessions and workshops to empower Rwandan teachers with rugby skills and knowledge. The pilot program has been assigned funding to proceed for 8 weeks and it is hoped upon evaluation this project can become an embedded part of the FoRR delivery strategy. We thank Glyn for his wonderful enthusiasm and look forward to creating strong ties with TTC Mururu long into the future. Below is a photo from the first session. So many showed up he had to turn people away!
FoRR is delighted to be providing Rwandan rugby development officers to develop Rwandan teachers who will in turn teach Rwandan students the joys of rugby. Rugby development officer Mathieu Muvunyi was the first FoRR staff member to make the journey out to TTC Mururu and reports received indicate the launch of the program has been a wonderful success
The middle of the year is an exciting time for rugby in Rwandan schools. Throughout the next month four tournaments will be played across the country. These regional tournaments on the back of two held last month collectively serve to select the regional champions. These regional champions then travel to the capital to compete in the national schools championship of Rwanda. In total the 6 tournaments fully organised, officiated and funded by Friends of Rwandan Rugby will see 36 schools compete to be crowned champions of Rwanda.
Friends of Rwandan Rugby’s six full-time rugby development officers met in Ruhango this weekend to participate in a coaching workshop. The group developed their skill specific coaching strategies and evolved their planning and timing skills for training sessions.
A personal account of the volunteer coaching trip to Rwanda in February 2014 by Matthew Beddow
On a humid Friday morning on the western edge of Rwanda huddled in a tight circle at the end of a pitch of dust, stones and grass surrounded by banana trees, fields of sugar cane and maize the Rubengera Angels prepare to face their arch rivals the Rubengera Jaguars in the Friends of Rwandan Rugby (FoRR) Karongi District Tag Rugby Final.
Eight days earlier at Heathrow Airport for the first time Matt, Lewis, Helena, Pete, Nick, Tim and Matt (That’s me), all met for the first time. All excited about the trip we had been looking forward to but also all a little apprehensive about the unknown. We sorted through 200 rugby jerseys, 206 balls, 360 tag belts in the departure hall to make sure we carried as much rugby kit as possible out to Rwanda. A kind of team building exercise as it turned out!
Within an hour we had been christened with new “tour names” and Saucy, Pampers, Sharky, Pistol, Dick, “Just Tim” and Big Bad boarded the brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner Plus (Turns out Saucy likes his planes) to Addis Ababa on the first leg of our overnight trip to Kigali.
After a short stop off at Addis Ababa, a couple of laps of the terminal and a warm fruit salad it was back on the plane and out onto the tarmac of Kigali Airport. We were met by the leader of the FoRR programme in Rwanda, the aptly named Kamanda, and loaded the mini bus with our 14 bags of rugby kit before heading into the city.
Like the rest of Rwanda, Kigali is a city of hills and valleys. It’s said Rwanda is a country of a thousand hills but to me it seems far more like 10,000! We stay for two nights at a hostel just a short walk from the commercial centre and its hectic market as well as the Hôtel des Mille Collines (THE Hotel Rwanda). On Saturday morning we head to the school behind the hostel and get involved in our first rugby session. And it was great. When we arrived the footballers jokingly jeered at our funny shaped ball but the team Kamanda coaches every Saturday were fantastic and clearly loved the game. I haven’t played for a long time so was consigned to the role of red-faced white guy hanging around on the wing calling in vain for the ball but it was a lot of fun.
We left the school for a very sobering visit to the genocide memorial where the history of the terrible months in 1994 are recorded for all. The sight of toddlers’ shoes, the same as worn by my own children, in a display case of infant bones was devastating. I left with a sense of what the people we were to meet throughout the trip had gone through but also with an understanding that the old Rwanda was no more and a very new one was emerging every day. One family.
From there we were privileged to visit the Rwandan Orphan Project (ROP) and meet the people who care for those children who for a wide range of complicated and saddening reasons have been left with no family. Some for a period, some permanently and some found living on the streets at far too young an age. We will always remember an afternoon on the red earth of Kigali teaching a sport we love to kids who show such positivity and joy while recovering from situations no child should ever have to endure.
On Sunday we headed out to Karongi to meet the teachers and the children we would be spending the rest of the week with. On a twisting winding road with spectacular views on left and right (that would be at home in any episode of Top Gear) we headed out to the western border of Rwanda to the village of Rubengera. A short bus ride from the 60 mile long Lake Kivu.
We also met the FoRR Rugby Development Officers who were to be our guides and mentors and who all became our good friends during the week. Mathieu, JP, Alex, Laurien, Felix, Claude and Regis worked with us every day in the schools as well has sharing a couple of beers every evening after the days coaching was over.
We stayed at a church retreat, on the outskirts of the village and were again made to feel very welcome. Any group of people walking around a small village in BRIGHT YELLOW t-shirts and caps is going to attract attention not to mention a group of white faces in a rural Rwandan community. The beauty of being based in a village like this for a week is that people get to know you and want to know what we are doing.
We coached in pairs at our three schools and helped the Rwandan RDO’s to select and coach a new generation of rugby players. Each of our schools were different and we all faced challenges the RDO’s are all to familiar with when introducing a new sport to schools in Rwanda.
The kids embraced us and our game completely and ran out to greet us every day in droves. Always enthusiastic, always keen to learn, often running out of lessons before being given permission to and always pleased to be part of a new experience. Our message to have fun and be part of a team while learning was not lost on them.
Rwanda threw a surprise at us every single day. In fact there were usually two or three incidents a day that stopped you in your tracks!
– The man who stopped two of the team in the street to thank them for coming to Rwanda and telling them about his families experience of the genocide;
– The 1,000 strong town meeting complete with choirs and voting officials dressed as Greek gods that turned up during one coaching session;
– The evening at the secondary school coaching rugby while 4 choirs in class rooms surrounding the pitch sang their hearts out;
– The impromptu visit to a church that ended in us staying for an hour and being asked to give a speech to the 400 strong congregation who were keen to know what we were doing;
– The whole of one school being led out to the pitch we were playing on to serve a mass detention in silence for laughing at the head mistress while we were asked to play on.
I could go on . . . and on . . . and on.
The way that the kids learnt the game so quickly was amazing and there was some real talent on show. In my group alone there was a 7 year old girls who took running lines like Jeremy Guscott (And was just as elusive), Alex squeezed out impossible passes like Richie McCall (And got away with as many infringements) and Vincent had the instincts for finishing like Jason Robinson (With a side step as good as any)! Brilliant to watch and to teach.
So after 4 days of coaching the teams of boys and girls under 8 were selected and the tournament kicked off! To see all of our kids play the game with such heart and enthusiasm was fantastic. As we all watched on and gave instructions all I can say is that the dust must have been getting into lots of our eyes!
As the teams line up for the pre-final photograph our In the middle of the teams of kids aging from 6 to 9 stand red faced, heavily perspiring white people (“Myzungu”) in bright yellow hats and t-shirts giving their charges last minute tips on running lines, passing technique and game management (Perhaps not the last one).
Its impossible to imagine that just 20 years ago this very town, and probably this very pitch, witnessed some of the most ferocious attacks that took place in the Rwandan genocide. It is estimated that 90% of the town’s Tutsi population were killed in the 100 days that saw between 500,000 and 800,000 people killed in Rwanda.
Standing in this innocuous field on the edge of a friendly and welcoming community myself and 6 other volunteers have during this week all been deeply moved by this country, its men, women and children and have been first hand witnesses to the continuing story of reconciliation and transformation that is Rwanda.
Whatever preconceptions I may have had about Rwanda were dispelled as soon as I stepped off the plane. Rwanda provides surprises around every corner and every time you think you know what to expect the unexpected of course happens. As I write this it is 20 years since the genocide in Rwanda and many many people are working very very hard to make sure it never happens again and Friends of Rwandan Rugby are certainly playing their part. One family.
16th-21st March 2014,
Bhubesi Pride assembles highly qualified teams of coaching staff to drive through Africa on annual six-month expeditions, supporting rugby and community development in schools and community centres in ten African countries.
The latest batch of 9 Bhubesi Pride Coaches did their third Rugby coaching tour in Rulindo District in Rwanda with our programme leader Kamanda. The organization and daily training sessions were successful at Murambi Public School , Nyirabirori and Tumba Public Primary Schools. As always our Friends of Rwandan Rugby staff supported the visiting coaches through out the trip.
Another fantastic week ending in a brilliant tournament. FoRR now award teachers with Achievement Certificates for their participation with kids during the whole week.
Big thanks to DHL Rwanda provided water to students during sessions and Tournament day.
A personal account of the volunteer coaching trip to Rwanda in February 2014 by Tim Charlton
It’s very hard to put the experiences I had in to words, and especially in something of a length somebody may ever read. I’ve chosen 9 different things (out of dozens) that happened on the trip to illustrate my time and experiences coaching in Rubengera, Karongi in February 2014.
Kit sorting in Heathrow
Unpacking, repacking, weighing, repacking and reweighing 14 bags of generously donated kits, tags & balls, hundreds of medals, trophies, t-shirts for the kids, a printer oh and our own clothes. With a maximum of 23 kgs per bag, 2 bags per person. It was an exercise in expert packing under time pressure whilst being stared at by half of Heathrow airport. After a few smiles at the staff of Ethiopian Airlines we managed to transport a huge amount of kit and equipment (only a little over our allowances). It was amazing to see the generosity of so many clubs, organisations and people represented by all that we had to carry!
When distributing the kit in Rwanda it was clear that every single item of kit will be put to use and that the donations are absolutely vital to the charity.
Our first taste of rugby in Rwanda
St. Paul’s the pastoral centre we called home in Kigali has a secondary school attached. It was here we got our first taste of Rwandan schools, and rugby. The pitch/playground was a dusty, but substantially sized piece of hard red earth, with sporadic grass patches. After throwing a ball around with many of the younger children, we began coaching the older children followed by a game of touch rugby. The heat was immense and only seconds in to the game the sweat was pouring from the tourists, we also blamed the altitude for our lack of fitness (Rwanda is all at least 1,000m above sea level).
Following this we got another taste at the Rwandan Orphan Project- actually a home and school for children either abandoned to live on the street or given refuge for a period from complex troubles at home. Here we coached younger children, through various means – British Bulldogs (or Wolves & Chickens as the Welsh seem to call it) was certainly a favourite. It became very obvious that the children simply love to run – so passing in a circle was always destined to fail!
The Hills and roads of Rwanda
After 2 days it was time to travel to Rubengera, where we were based for most of our time, and where we would coach schools for the tournament at the end of the week. 10 of us piled on to a bus, to be joined by 4 more RDOs (Rwandan Rugby Development Officers) on route. The journey took us up and down what felt like at least 500 of Rwandan’s famed 1,000 hills, round countless corners and past innumerable different people, villages and valleys – all with something different for us to see.
Our schools
Matt ‘Welshboy’ Philips and I were paired off and alongside RDOs: JP, Mathiu and Regis, headed off on a short motorbike taxi (moto) ride to Nyarubuye Primary School. This was to be the school we would coach for the next 4 days. Upon arrival, any doubts we may have had as to how much we stood out as white men in yellow polo shirts were soon disproved. As soon as word got out that we had arrived masses of children flooded out of classrooms all over the school to take a look. After a photo opportunity the crowds were subdued and we were sent to the Headmistress’ office to discuss the coaching and children we needed.
On day 1 we had about 50 children in each session (morning and afternoon), soon they were taught how to throw (rugby style), catch and most obviously to shout BALL! To call for it. The ‘Pitch’ was a small plot of bumpy land, less than the size of two Tennis courts, made up half of gravel and with a manual water pump at the bottom. Every time we arrived we were swamped by hundreds of children until they were shepherded back into classrooms. As a result each training session began with Matt and I being surrounded by school pupils and playing games, chasing, playing catch etc for the first 45mins! But the joy on the children’s faces was really amazing!
A personal highlight was dancing the funky chicken as the children clapped, sang and (mostly) laughed. – see Facebook for more!
Coaching the Coaches
One of the important things we felt about the tour was that we left the coaches with some practical skills and rugby based fun and games they could use. Many of the RDO’s were brought in to rugby at a fairly late age – compared with many in the UK contingent. So after lunch we spent some time demonstrating drills and discussing ideas with the RDOs. It was great to spend time with the RDOs – a great bunch who it appears to me are heart and soul of Rugby in the whole of Rwanda!
Assembly time – Rubengera style
The aim of our third day of coaching was to get the children playing proper games of tag rugby, however when we arrived in the afternoon we soon came across an obstacle. The entire school (primary and secondary) was sat neatly on the banks of the pitch receiving an assembly! Attempting to make minimal fuss and disruption we kept away from proceedings, but when, as the assembly seemed to be concluding, the pupils burst in to song in thirds as always, I couldn’t resist joining in with a bit of clapping and dancing. The younger children were released and an impromptu play-time with the ‘mzungu’ (Rwandan for White European) began. It soon became clear that the secondary school children were being kept behind – the RDOs explained this was because they had been talking during the assembly.
It was great to see that even 5000 miles from home children still talk in assembly and get detention!
Getting to know the secondary school children
On our final day of coaching, the children spent the sessions playing games of tag rugby on as big a pitch as we could manage in the space provided. This gave me a rare opportunity to engage in conversation rather than manic games of chase – so I spent much of the session getting to know some of the older pupils. Some of them spoke very good English, and it transpired were of quite a wide range of ages – unlike schools in the UK age is somewhat unimportant. They had just finished a ‘Social Studies’ exam. I explained what the charity was, why we were here and the rules of rugby. They had so many questions about life in the UK, about Manchester United and Manchester City (They asked me if I knew the players as that’s where I’m from!).
I spoke to the children about their hopes for the future. One wanted to study Foreign Languages at Oxford University, and another one to be a writer like Shakespeare! It really struck me the differences in our attitudes to school and the opportunities we have!
Tournament day
Friday meant tournament day. We had six teams, two from each of the three schools we had coached, a number of spectators and teachers also watched. We did our best to create a real festival of rugby for the day and bring fun and a bit of a carnival atmosphere to the whole event. Unfortunately the teams from my school both lost their group games and so played in a wooden-spoon match – It was never about the winning anyway! Drinks and lunch were provided for all!
After semi-finals and a grand Final the winner was crowned, and medals were handed to everyone as well as a trophy for the winner and runner-up!
It was a great way to round off our time in Rubengera and the Karongi Region to end in a party atmosphere with cheering and singing – I really hope we left them with as great memories of rugby as they gave me.
Grandaumu
The final unique experience was that of the grandaumu. This is the practice where on the last Saturday of each month most businesses do not open; people do not work instead they meet as a community to carry out community projects. These can be anything from building roads to litter picks. This seemed like such a great idea and really summed up the culture of Rwanda as a welcoming, friendly and community driven place. It really was great to wander the streets, with no cars on them and see residents out and about.
Tim Charlton
The 2014 coaching trip to Rwanda was once again a huge success. We will be posting accounts of the trip from those who spent a week with the schools in Rwanda. All had an experience they will never forget. After spending a day acclimatizing in Kigali the coaches departed for the small town if Rubengera where 3 primary schools were introduced to Tag Rugby and competed in an inter school tournament at the end of the week.
We will be posting photos and videos of the tour over the coming weeks.
