Sport en Commun

Project supported by SERVIR pour le Développement et la paix du Burundi

The association SERVIR was founded in 2020 as an association under French law with a local partner in Burundi (Burundi Baptist Churches Union). It promotes reconciliation of the Burundi population and contributes to the economic and social development of citizen by improving their living standards, notably through workshops and trainings.

The project "All for inclusive sport for the benefit of our reconciliation and development" seeks to reinforce intercultural dialogue in Burundi through the organisation of team sport contests, community work and the creation of a brick factory to build common infrastructures and foster economic development.

Context

Burundi has been through a series of ethnic civil wars during the last 50 years. Today, the country is in peace but inter-ethnic tensions are remaining because memories were built on two ethnic concepts. Children grow up in these memories and rivalries appear from the youngest age between different ethnicities. It is now necessary to deconstruct these memories, notably through youth critical minds with the objective to build a Nation-State, according to Jean Bosco Harerimana, chairperson of the “transitional justice and peace chair” at the University of Burundi.

On the 26th of June 2021, the Burundi head of State, Evariste Ndayishimiye, launched a call to use sport activities to reinforce social cohesion, peace and socio-economic development in his country.

This project from the association SERVIR answers to this call by seeking to gather the population around sport for development, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence in diversity.

Objectives

Use sport for intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and economic development
Build sport teams and build capacities of sport education staffs
Increase income-generating revenues through sport
Revitalise the country’s competitive spirit in sport to emulate professional athletes
Reach an integral and sustainable development in all the capital city’s communities

Activities

Organisation of sport events: competitions, annual marches for peace, activist dance shows…
Purchase of a clay site to develop community works to benefit the most vulnerable and create self-financing activities
Develop two tree nurseries for education to the environment and its preservation
Organisation of workshops and seminars on human values, entrepreneurship and sustainable development
Spot and promote 12 talented youth to bring them to professional level

Impacts

After three years of project:

85% of Bujumbura young people will practice an individual or collective sport in mix clubs
75% of young people will contribute to community development activities in Bujumbura
75% of youth currently unemployed will be members of a socio-economic entrepreneurship association, will participate in auto-financing activities and/or will create sport clubs for young people

In total, 1200 persons will benefit from the project and sport will have improved the population’s health, reinforced social cohesion and have accelerated social and economic development of the society.