Football Amahoro
This project's parent organization is Esperance
It operates in Rwanda
It uses Football (Soccer)
Entered the Sport for Conflict Resolution Award
More about Football Amahoro
Sport is a universal language and a powerful tool which can be used to address social issues in the community. The Rwandan society has been divided by ethnic conflicts for many decades which resulted in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Through the Football Amahoro project we are trying to resolve conflicts and bridge ethnic differences by using the power of football. By involving all ethnic groups to play in the same teams using specific fair-play rules, a foundation for further peace building in the community is established.
Though, there have been great advancements in the Rwandan healing process in recent years, underlying ethnic conflicts still exist, especially in rural areas. Esperance tackles this issue by promoting open debates before and after a game to eliminate prejudices that prevail in the local population. This methodology brought together Hutus and Tutsis to play football on the same pitch, which was considered impossible, but was realized through Football Amahoro. Our project has also been successful in the conflict areas such as North and South Kivu regions in DRC which were torn apart by wars and rebel militias, because of similar ethnic conflicts that can be tackled through Football Amahoro.