Category: Blog

March 2011 Training in Rulindo

Alexis

Sibomana, FoRR’s  Rugby Development Officer in the North, organised a coaching day at SHYORONGYI pitch. Teachers from all of the schools in the Rulindo district attended and Alexis ran a training session for coaches and players. The day was a great success and it is hoped to be repeated soon. The schools need more support with training and equipment.

2011 Tour

A brilliant tour to Huye was completed recently with 11 tourists delivering huges amounts of equipment to new schools and re-launching the game in this region. FoRR is now looking to employ a full timwe RDO in Huye to sustain the work initiated by this great group of coaches.

19/01/2011 – Tharcisse Kamanda appointed Schools Commissioner

The Federation of Rwandan Rugby recently created the post of Schools Commissioner and granted the position to Tharcisse Kamanda. This new official role will empower Kamanda to build on the many years of work he has performed trying to entrench the game in schools in the country. An ambitious plan for development across the whole nation will now be guided by the Federation and as the program manager of UK Registered charity Friends of Rwandan Rugby, Kamanda is in a fantastic position to get resources to both primary and secondary schools.

08/12/2010 – Breakfast with Shaun Edwards

FoRR was delighted to be the recipient of a breakfast hosted by Shaun Edwards at the High Wycombe stadium. The event saw a gathering of 75 Wasps business supporters who were entertained by an amusing question and answer session. During his talk Shaun highlighted the good that he had seen rugby do in South Africa whilst on tour with the British and Irish Lions and he threw his whole hearted support behind FoRR.  He even expressed an interest in coming out to Rwanda to do some coaching in oncoming off seasons.

08/12/2010 – Massive Numbers Show Interest in Learning Rugby

In the rural community of Northern Rwanda a spark has been lit. One single Rugby Development Officer, Alexis Sibomana is now reporting over 1500 students from local schools have taken instruction on the rules of rugby and participated in a variety of training sessions. In addition to the students Alexis is working on the basics of refereeing with 7 keen refs in a hope of providing more game opportunities for the eager youths. An exhaustive schedule see the following programs receive instruction on a weekly basis EP KANIGA, EP & ES BUGOMA,EP & ES MULINDI, EP KARAMBI,EP MUGINA, EP & ES KIRUHURA,  EP MUKARANGE,EP& ES NYAGAKIZI, and COLLEGE DE RUSHAKI

December 2010 – Primary School Numbers Grow

The southern part of Rwanda continues to be a great breeding ground for young rugby talent. Southern Rugby Development Officer Muvunyi Mathieu reported that 8 schools in his area are now actively playing the game. Kiziberi, Kageyo, Mbuye, Amizero, Ruhango Catholic, Nyamagana, Gitisi and Munni are all creating and developing teams. Planning has begun for a tournament to take place in 2011.

December 2010 – Frank Hadden Gets in Touch

After a recent coaching visit to Rwanda Frank Hadden contacted the charity to ask if there was anything that he could contribute. From first hand experience he was clearly impressed with the passion and commitment of local Rwandan rugby community. Although slightly shocked about the lack of a suitable playing area he spent time with Scottish Regional Referee Development Manager Colin Brett up skilling players and coaches drawing on their vast experience.  Frank has pledged to raise the issue of land with IRB officials. Friends of Rwandan Rugby continues its commitment to help finance the purchase once a suitable field has been sourced.

November 2010 – Female Tour Coach continue good work in Ntenyo

As one of the first two females to assist on an official FoRR coaching tour Agnes NIYOTUMUKESHA has continued to blaze a trail for female coaches in the country. She has started to develop teams in the Ntenyo area and is working with teams from Kageyo and Kizebere primary schools. A friendly fixture is planned for December 2010 and with assistance from the Southern Rugby Development officer this area looks set to continue both boys and girls fixtures into the future. She stated that even with access to limited materials the area is still really hungry to learn more about the sport.

24/10/2010 – Tag Tournament

On the 24th October 2010 our rugby development officer, Muvunyi Mathieu organised a TAG tournament in Huye between the teams who were introduced to rugby on the 2009 Tour. The tournament winners were NGOMA the second was TUMBA the third was KIBONDO and the fourth was NGOMA B. The first team got a big cup, the second got a small cup, the third and fourth got the balls and the trained teacher got the Friends of Rwandan Rugby Certificate.

23/10/2010 – FoRR Annual General Meeting

The full committee held their AGM and mapped out a strategic plan for the upcoming year. Emma Rees was re-appointed President after Danny Stoker stepped down from the position following 3 successful years in the post.  Danny has moved to become Special Events Co-ordinator and will play a significant role on the fundraising subcommittee. Piers Mitchell and Antony Hayes officially join the committee as trustees; bring the total to eight members.  Darren Ead has been appointed in the dual role of Tour Manager and Federation Liaison officer. Key areas for growth such as land acquisition and increasing the number of annual tours were discussed. Official accounts were entered into the minutes and the committee was able to approve the creation of a new Rugby Development Officer position to commence 1st January 2011.

22/10/2010 – Level 1 Coaching Course

Between 22nd -28th October 2010, the Confederation of African Rugby held a Level 1 coaching and refereeing course at the Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. Our program manager in Rwanda, Kamanda Tharcisse reported that many players and coaches attended and enjoyed the course. He was also very happy to see many of them were originally players at Shyogwe school who are now in different Regions of Rwanda but are still playing rugby, especially in Universities.

September 2010 – Piers Mitchell’s In-Country Update

Greeted at the airport by the New President of the Federation of Rwandan Rugby Dr Otto Vianney Muhinda, Piers spent two weeks coaching and refereeing rugby throughout the country.  The first weekend of the visit saw him officiate at a schools tournament just outside the capital in Ndera. 10 boys’ teams and 4 girls’ teams were involved travelling from Kigali, Kamonyi and Giterama to participate. The boys final was eventually won by the home side with fierce competition reported throughout. The girls competition received excellent reports and it was said that they played some of the best rugby on the day with excellent passing and in particular good technique when tackling. GS Remera was victorious in the girls competition and a great day was had by all. Upon completion Piers travelled to the North to work with Sonrise school and headed on to Rulindo and Tumba to aid work being carried out by Northern RDO Alexis Sibomana. Eventually moving South to Gitarama Piers experienced utter delight when arriving unannounced he saw both Kabgayi A and Kabgayi B playing TAG.  A trip to Shyogwe resulted in a very productive training session and it was noted that the standard of play has improved considerably since last years tour to the area. Piers left the area still with the songs the students had learnt the previous year about rugby ringing in his ears. This visit also allowed the introduction of Laurien Hukizimana as a potential RDO for the region allowing Mathieu Muvunyi the opportunity to focus on schools in the Ruhango area.  Piers reported back to the committee that Laurien (a former St Joseph’s pupil) was an impressive young man, good rugby player and seemed well connected within the district. During his time in country Piers was also able to spend some time with the National squad whilst they prepared for an International tournament scheduled for 22nd November 2011. Finally a genuine attempt was made to source appropriate land for purchase. Whilst again proving difficult, discussions were held with the Federation of Rwandan Rugby about short term leasing possibilities and the eventually ownership of a National home ground.

11/09/2010 – Tumba Jaguar Rugby Club Founded by FoRR RDO

FoRR’s mission to drive rugby in rural communities has resulted in the foundation of Rwanda’s newest men’s club. Situated in the far North of the country Jaguar made a successful entrance into the National rugby competition with their maiden victory coming in a game against Remera Puma 7 points to 5.  Founding coach Alexis Sibomana was delighted by the team’s performance and looks to continue to draw talent from the local university to swell the ranks of squad players.

07/09/2010 – Federation of Rwandan Rugby Announces Committee

Results of the Federation AGM have been announced. Dr Otto Vianney Muhinda has been elected President, Alex Araire remains as Vice President (In charge of Marketing), Henry Umwera gets the role of Vice President (Technical), Janvier Ugeziwe continues as Secretary General, Gerald Nsenga moves from VP to National Technical Director and Jean Baptist Itanzi will take the role of Assistant Technical Director.

17/07/2010 – Schools Rugby Rwanda V Democratic Republic of Congo

A young group of rugby players based in Kigali received the opportunity to travel to the North West of the country to play in a game against a team from the neighbouring DRC. It was reported by Kamanda Tharcisse that friendship were formed and knowledge exchanged and in addition to some great rugby the teams took time out to swim in the beautiful Lake Kivu.

23/03/2010 – Bhubesi Pride to Include Rwanda

This week Richard Bennett, organiser of Bhubesi Pride, confirmed that Rwanda would be included in the tour program. A trip taking coaches from Cheltenham in the UK to Cape Town in South Africa will pass through Rwanda. Whilst in country the coaches will work in the primary schools around the Tumba area and hold training sessions and games with the desire to contribute to the developing body of knowledge that exists there. Materials will be left with participating schools and the planned venture has received positive feedback from local headteahers and local governing officials. Alex Sibomana will liaise with the incoming tour to maximise positive outcomes for the local children

2009 News

June 2009 – Rugby Takes Hold in the North
Sibomana Alexis has worked hard to take rugby throughout the Northern region. Having received only a couple of visits from UK coaches Alexis has lead the implementation of the game into  Mulindi, Nyagakizi, Kiruhura, Mukarange, Mugina and Bugomba primary schools. He has also been able to work with students from 3 of the secondary schools (Nyagakizi, Kiruhure and Bugomba). Friendly fixtures between Kiruhura, Nyagakizi, Mugina and Murindi have laid the foundation for the possibility of a Northern Schools league which FoRR is aiming to hold in 2011
May 2009 – Second Annual TAG Rugby Tour – Butare
The end of May saw Amanda Furst lead FoRR’s adventure down into the far South of the country with 9 UK coaches intent on introducing the game to as many youngsters as possible. Working within 6 schools including Ecole Primaire de Ngoma Catholique, Ecole Primaire de Ngoma Adventiste, Ecole Primaire Catholique, A.P.E.M., Ecole Primaire de Kibando and Ecole Primaire de Tumba. The team was able to hold a wonderful tournament on 29th May at the end of the 5 day coaching program. Assisted by RDO’s Alex and Mathieu the UK coaches also received support from long time friend to the charity Tharcisse Kamanda and local Grizzles National University rugby player Umugire Alphonse.  Having introduced the game and leaving the teams with masses of equipment it remains an area that the charity will continue to support in future years. The tourists enjoyed a well earned break with a trip to Lake Kivu before returning to the UK.
I got the most amazing feeling of accomplishment and a massive sense of pride watching those great kids put so much into a game of rugby, enthusiasm isn’t the word! The hardest thing to deal with was the sense of not having done enough to help and that’s why I will return. ** Jack Ransome FoRR Tour Coach 2009/10/11

2008 News

May 2008 – New Volunteer Arrives
FoRR was delighted to receive Tom Wagsby into the country. Staying for a few weeks Tom was able to work with several of the schools teams in both Kigali and in the South and left valuable information with the developing teams. He held a series of mini games each afternoon and refereed 2 games on the weekends.
04/10/08 – FoRR Annual General Meeting
With the recent employment of new staff in Rwanda the focus of this meeting stayed largely with designing financial structures to ensure the security of salaries on a continuous basis. Measures were put in place so that accounts could be closely monitored and a plan was introduced to maximise all revenue streams efficiently.  To facilitate that approach an appropriate website was placed high on the list of priorities and the fundraising subcommittee reported back about potential UK schools links that wish to help going forward. The committee decided to re-set the equipment drive process to concentrate on balls, full team strips, tags and cones. Finally discussion were held about the charities relationship with the Federation of Rwandan Rugby, land accusation and the possibilities of annual tours for UK coaches to the country to replicate the one held earlier in the year.
01/06/08 – Rugby Development Officers
FoRR is excited to announce the employment of their first full time Rugby Development Officers (RDO’s). Alexis Sibomana joins the team working hard to develop rugby presence in the Northern Region. Mathieu Muvunyi has taken on the role with a focus of assisting schools in the Southern Region. Both coaches have been supplied with a bicycle and coaching materials as well as equipment for new schools and will be introducing the game to primary and secondary schools. In addition they will have responsible to organise and referee tournaments in their regions with a view to holding inter-regional matches as the teams develop.
May 2008 – Pilot TAG Rugby Tour – Gitarama Region
During the final week of May 3 UK rugby coaches travelled to Rwanda to join trustees Emma Rees and Deena Aiken on the first FoRR coaching tour. Arriving in country Darren Ead, Denise Adams and Sarah Govier undertook the task of initiating 150 P5 primary school children into the game through a series of training sessions. Having requested a core group of 50 students from 3 participating schools the coaching group split down to work with their students from Kabgayi A, Kabgayi B and Shyogwe.  The fifth day of work saw the successful competition of a 6 team tournament held in the Gitarama stadium and after an unseasonal torrential downpour play occurred at a cracking pace. Eventual winners Blue Tigers from Shyogwe collected the cup and all teams were left with materials and equipment to continue their programs. Importantly one teacher from each school was developed throughout the week to receive knowledge and coaching support in the future.
11/05/2008 – A Heartening Display of Women’s Rugby
A trip to Remera-Rukoma was rewarded with a full day of sevens activity exclusively played by girls from 3 participating schools. Remera Rukoma’s two huge schools fielded well-drilled and knowledgeable teams and they spent the day battling in a three way tournament with a team that had travelled from Shyogwe.
17/02/2008 – New Volunteer Arrives
FoRR was delighted to receive Mike Nicolas into the country for a month long stay. With his extensive coaching and business knowledge he was able to spend time working with children in Kigali and made a couple of trips to the North of the country to investigate the activities in the region. One of the highlights of his stay was Mike’s work with the street children of Centre Murembo where his open and smiling attitude was very well received. FoRR’s first venture to Rhungeri coincided with Mike’s visit and 3 days were spent with experienced and enthusiastic players at ISAIE Agricultural University in the beautiful foot hills of the Vurunga Mountains.
January 2008 – 1st Volunteers Return
Kate Alback and Toby Kyle returned to Rwanda for a 3 week stint to continue the work of developing rugby in school and youth groups. In addition they toured this time with 3 of their student from Shanghai.  At the conclusion for their stay the group organised a full contact tournament for Nyabagogo Hairy Crabs, Kicukiru Devils, Buffaloes A team, Buffaloes B team and Nyemerambo.  Concurrently they held a touch tournament for under 14’s and under 16’s that saw 14 teams take part. Prizes were awarded to all those that took part and a huge tournament was greatly received by its’ many participants.  Excellent support for the tournament was given by the local rugby community in the form of organisation and officiating.20/01/2008 – FoRR’s Inaugural Schools League Kicks-off

After many months of hard work Friends of Rwandan Rugby was able to organise and run the first schools league competitions. Four rounds were held concurrently in Kigali and the Gitarama region comprising teams from St Leon, St Joseph, ETO Gitarama, Lycee de Ruhango, Shyogwe, The Red Cross, Ndera, Apade Kichiciru and ESSI Nyamarambo. Eventually league winners from the South, St Josephs, took on Kigali league victors Ndera in the National Schools final. This final game was played in front of a good sized crowd and a tremendous battle saw some wonderful skills from both sides. After an intense 80 minutes, St Josephs from Gitarama were crowned the 2008 Champions and the whole program and final game received good media coverage on the National TV Channel to announce the arrival of schoolboy rugby as a serious force in Rwanda.16/01/2008 – QUIZ Night and Charity Fundraiser

50 of the charities long term supporters attended a fun and informative event in Shepherds Bush. Hosted by Trustee Danny Stoker the evening raised valuable funds and raised interest from rugby club communities where a foundation for future tourists was laid.04/01/2008 – BBC Radio Interview

Emma Rees and Deena Aiken participated in a follow up interview on Five Live, this time with Simon Mayo, which allowed the trustees to report on the work carried out since their previous visit. With a massive audience this 20 minute segment continued to increase the profile of the charity.