Rwanda: Street Children Get New Basketball/Volleyball Court
Rwanda: Street Children Get New Basketball/Volleyball Court
The New Times (Kigali)
26 November 2007
Posted to the web 26 November 2007
Bonnie Mugabe
Kigali
Right To Play Rwanda has opened a basketball and volleyball court at CPAJ, a Centre for street children based in Kicukiro, Gasabo district.
Right To Play sponsored the contrsuction of basketball/volleyball court to a tune of over Frw6 millions.
The organization’s Country Manager Gningue Massamba told Times Sport that construction of this basketball/volleyball court is one of their programmes in assisting rehabilitation centers.
‘This court would go along way to help them (street children) realize their life careers as well as feel not displaced in their own country.
‘We hope to give them more assistance to acquire and develop life skills through sports and play programs,’ Massamba said.
According to CPAJ Coordinator, Cyprien Musabwa, this court would help the street children to develop their talents as well as act as a pulling factor to other street children who love sports.
‘The construction of this court was meant to develop the careers of some of the street children in this Centre. There are many children here with an abundance of talent in both basketball and volleyball.
‘We have already trained some few individuals and more are going to be taught the basics of the sport,’ Musabwa added.
He noted that engaging in sports helps the street children to pass their spare time rather than them spending it thinking of bad behaviors which would otherwise ruin their lives.
CPAJ, a rehabilitation and street chidren centre was founded by Presbyterian Church in Rwanda in 1998 in thier mission, ‘Street children is a big challenge for the country as a whole’
The center engages in many activities including: joining children and sensitizing to come to the center, sending children to school, counselling the traumatised children, linking these children with their families, supporting children with self-reliance activities and sensitizing them on how to prevent HIV/AIDS.
The center has got over 260 children; the centre is in partnership with different organisations with Right To Play inclusive.
