Rwandan female basketball coach Fatuma Mukamugema says she has learned valuable lessons from the BAL’s mentorship program by NBA coaches. The Shooting Touch coach is among six African women selected to take part in the program, giving her an opportunity to learn from basketball industry leaders in South Africa and the United States. The program started in October and will run through December. ALSO READ: Rwandan duo selected for BAL mentorship programme Her selection earned her a chance to be mentored by former WNBA star and current Vice President of the Boston Celtics Team Operations and Organizational Growth, Allison Feaster. During the program, Mukamugema had a four-day visit to Feaster in the United States, establishing crucial connections with individuals who can aid in her pursuit of a successful career as a youth leader, coach, and hopefully one day, as a mentor herself. They had one-on-one sessions where the female coach discusses valuable strategies for advancing her career goals with her mentor. She emphasized how she found so much significance in the mentorship program in furthering one's career prospects. She emphasized that the mentorship program plays a positive impact in furthering one's career prospects. “Being a FIBA Foundation Youth Leader has propelled me into spaces where I am surer of myself, and the footprint I want to leave behind as a sportsperson, and more so, as a female representative for younger girls who are looking for representation in all aspects of the basketball society,” she said. “My experience as a member of the BB4G movement has imparted knowledge on utilizing basketball and available resources to address critical issues in my community and promote unity for a positive cause, such as achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” she said. Mukamugema’s project, Basketball End Malnutrition, utilizes basketball as a medium to educate individuals in her community about good health and well-being, with a particular emphasis on malnutrition. “To me, Basketball for Good embodies the concept of utilizing basketball as a powerful tool to educate, help, and bring individuals in my community together to collaborate to find solutions for prevalent issues and achieve a better future for all,” she noted.
