All for inclusive sport

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.

Funding

The total cost of the project is 168 498€.