Feature: Miracle girl soccer team needs money for the world championship

They attracted applause everywhere they went. They are students from Kamonyi district who emerged second during the East African girl’s football championship. Groupe Scolaire Remera Rukoma girl’s team was an idea of a group of students to boost the school’s chances to win a Gender-based sensitization competition in the district in fields of music, drama, soccer and poetry. Survivors Fund Rwanda (SURF) was the organization behind the “Fight against Gender-based violence campaign” interschool competition. According to Wilson Gabo, the Coordinator of SURF, Remera Rukoma girls’ team started as a simple strategy developed by the students to improve their chances to beat other schools. “It was the only school that came up with an idea of a girls’ team and we were supportive of the plan since it blended in with our family and school GBV sensitization program,” he says But what Gabo and SURF didn’t know was that the team would grow from strength to strength and eventually start competing on an international level. The dilemma:After the team won the GBV competition, it went on to participate in the National Women’s Football Championship and emerged third. From there they joined the National Interschool Championship and emerged champions. Without breaking a sweat, Remera Rukoma then represented Rwanda at the Annual East African Secondary School Girls Tournament in Nakuru (Kenya) where they emerged second. With their second position the girls clinched a ticket to the much sought after International Youth Soccer tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. They are expected to be one of the two countries representing the Eastern Africa region at the games slated for June 25-July 05, 2011. However, just a little over a month to the Championship in the USA, the female football players are stuck in Kamonyi district. Though they have their invitations to the games, they can’t afford the tickets to fly them over the Atlantic Ocean to Ohio. SURF often successful garnered support and assistance from interested parties. But a trip to the USA for the team is a different ball game. “An international lighting firm based in the USA, Musco Lighting, agreed to cover the costs of the registration fee of $ 10,000 for the tournament. The US sports federation arranged to provide desperately needed new equipment, including properly fitting shoes and better uniforms,” Gabo says Gabo explains that the team still needs support to cover the costs of the return airplane tickets to the USA, which would cost as much as $30,000. Asked whether the team tried to get support from the government, head coach Emmanuel Habiyambere stated that he approached both the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth. “The Ministry of Sports declared that their mandate excludes student clubs but agreed to cover the costs of internal logistics, like passports and the visas needed by the girls to travel”, the coach discloses. Habiyambere adds that as days grow closer, the team continues to train, hoping that a miracle will happen.“We continue to play. We continue to practice. The team spirit is alive. We hope for a wonder to happen.” Ends