Sports as an awareness-raising tool in schools

Context

Recent statistics from the Rwandan education authorities reveal a considerable rise in school dropout rates as a result of a deterioration in adolescent girls’ living conditions. In the Eastern Province of Rwanda, adolescent girls face sexual violence, forced marriage and unwanted early pregnancies, and remain vulnerable to the risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, because sex education is virtually non-existent.

The Diocesan Office is using the power of sport as a solution to this problem. To this end, awareness-raising and sex education programmes based on football and athletics tournaments will be devised and implemented in the remote areas being targeted.

Goals

• Contribute to eliminating early pregnancies, early/child marriages, sexually transmitted diseases and risky hygiene practices
• Reduce the risks of girls dropping out in four schools: the Biharagu school complex, the Nyakayaga school complex, the Murambo primary school and the Runzenze primary school
• Reach the wider public by disseminating messages about sex education and raising awareness of hygiene rules through sports tournaments
• Create girls’ football and athletics teams in the four schools involved and establish annual inter-school tournaments

Activities

• Organising an official launch bringing together different stakeholders to present the project and work together to determine how the activities should be implemented
• Establishing/strengthening football and athletics teams in the schools concerned
• Holding football and athletics tournaments during which messages to promote awareness of hygiene rules and sex education will be widely disseminated

Impacts           

• 5,675 pupils (2,894 girls and 2,781 boys) attending the four schools involved in the project will benefit directly, including 150 pupils (75 girls and 75 boys) who are members of the football and athletics teams
• Almost 500,000 people will benefit indirectly through the dissemination of messages about sex education and hygiene rules
• Elimination of 85% of early pregnancies, early marriages and sexually transmitted diseases 

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