Whenever you ask someone in Nakivale their favorite sport, the most likely answer is futbol. It’s the most watched and most played sport here. So, it was no surprise when we learned that Augustine, an ARC team member who helps keep the office neat and tidy, plays and coaches futbol himself. His team is called Twegerane which means ‘together’ in Swahili.
The team brings together young boys and girls who have come to Nakivale from all different countries – Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.
“We’re always together and when we are together we are united,” Babu, a young team member tells us. “That’s why I play with this team.”
Augustine works hard coaching his team several times a week. But, a few months ago their one and only soccer ball broke. “We haven’t really been able to play for the last few months,” Augustine explained. “In the meantime, we have been teaching each other languages – English and French,” he said.
All it would take to get this team back to playing futbol was a little help from our friends. Now, the team has new soccer balls, pumps, jerseys and a whiteboard with markers so they can continue with their language learning as well.
“It gives you power to be physical. We are glad for these things to play futbol again,” said Babu.
Special thanks to Karla Nagy, Bella Wordsworth and Clif Bar for getting Twegerane team back out on the field.
