When the FIFA Football for Schools program was launched on Tuesday, March 14, in Kigali, the Rwanda Football Federation and Ministry of Sports emphasized that they will prioritize the development of the next generation of the country's football players. The Minister of Sports, Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, said that they will help the program reach everywhere in the country so that it can be implemented in a good manner. The plan is for the program to reach more than 4,000 schools in Rwanda. “This Football for Schools festival gives the opportunity to celebrate the joy of children and the pride of the game. It’s a great day for us and a privilege to start the program of development in Rwanda, and the Ministry of Sports is ready to work with FERWAFA to achieve the target,” Munyangaju said In Rwanda, this program will be implemented in a partnership between the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Education, and FERWAFA. Football for Schools (F4S) is an ambitious program run by FIFA, in collaboration with UNESCO, which aims to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of around 700 million children. It seeks to make football more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system, in partnership with relevant authorities and stakeholders. The program has been designed to promote targeted life skills and competencies through football and contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other priorities. The Program is a pilot project in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, on the basis of the interest expressed by national associations and the specific local sporting and football conditions in the countries involved. “Football is capable of playing a vital role in the education system. I’m excited by the direction that football is taking in Rwanda and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow strongly with this program from the young people,” FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, said. “I am confident that in the long term, this framework will allow the association to overcome challenges and create sustainable practices for the future. Ultimately, this will have a positive impact on the lives of children and on Rwanda’s wider football community over the next four years,” said FERWAFA President, Olivier Mugabo Nizeyimana. The F4S Programme seeks to achieve four key outcomes including to empower learners (boys and girls) with valuable life skills and competencies; empower and provide coach-educators with the training to deliver sport and life-skills activities; build the capacity of stakeholders to deliver training in life skills through football.
