Rwanda: Sports Christian Crusade for Peace, Reconciliation and AIDS Freedom

Dates: February 22 - March 30, 2001

• Overview
• Partners
• Objectives
• Target Audience
• Activities
• Outputs
• Impact

Overview

Many events taking place in Rwanda either through the government or Non-Government Organizations or civil society or church/faith-based organizations are aimed at addressing the consequences of the war and genocide in 1994. The tragedy not only devastated the political, social and economic infrastructure, but it affected the moral, spiritual and emotional fabric of Rwandan society. Some of the outstanding challenges have been the ethnic divisions, hatred and discord and the emergence of HIV/AIDS.

Partners

• Local branches of various International banks
• Multilateral and Bilateral Organizations: WHO, USAID, UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNDP, World Bank, GTZ, etc.
• Government Institutions: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice
• Episcopal church of Rwanda
• Private and public sectors in Rwanda supported the accommodation, food and local travel of the players.

Objectives

• Open an avenue for Rwandans to reflect and begin rebuilding their communities through interaction and inter-relationships with one another at key community events, such as sports.
• A forum for Christians to share the knowledge about the love of God with national and international sports colleagues and prepare themselves towards the prevention of the AIDS epidemic.
• Reach and involve young people in the dissemination of AIDS prevention messages;
• Bring information and counseling services closer to them at church gatherings; and,
• Promote a prototype AIDS campaign that can be promoted through churches in Africa.
• Expose Rwandans to what promises to be a reconciliation tool that will enable them meet, play with and mix with one another in organized sports regardless of their respective identities;
• Witness for Christ among these people(spectators and fans) during the sports activities and during half-time for the players, highlighting the strength they can draw from faith in Jesus to fight against AIDS.

Target Audience

Primary Audience. Football players, coaches and referees at the stadiums
Secondary Audiences. Football fans and spectators at the football matches in Butare and Kigali.

Activities

Pre-crusade

• Planning and education meetings with Church leaders on CUP strategy and the involvement of Church youth.
• Football players, AIDS program managers and service providers explaining the Rwanda Football Christian Crusade program, the AIDS situation in Rwanda and the religious/sports approach to prevention.
• Production of crusade/campaign materials
• Orientation of evangelical counselors/peer educators. (A short but very intense AIDS training program for about 1,000 evangelical counselors.)
• Training or orientation of football players and coaches on key crusade/campaign messages. Football players in three clubs from Rwanda their colleagues from North Carolina/USA will receive orientation on what is AIDS and how they can beat AIDS.
• Construction of AIDS information, counseling and referral booths in the crusade/campaign stadiums.

During Matches

• One Minute of Silence for AIDS before the start of each game - lead by Archbishop of Episcopal Church and various policy-makers
• Disseminate AIDS information materials in HIRBs, etc.
• Dance/Drama presentations just before matches

Post-Game

• Monitoring and evaluation of crusade/campaign
• Report on Crusade/campaign
• Follow up of youth activities in the various church groups

Outputs

• Trophies (Cup, medals and certificates)
• Counselors fees and transport (phones and HIRBs)
• Banners for Crusaders' vehicles (4 long ones for their vehicles; 4 large ones for each stadium plus 5 street banners in Kigali and 3 in Butare)
• Break the Silence brochure (70,000 with photos of teams)
• Training or orientation of players & coaches on key crusade/campaign messages
• Construction of two AIDS information, counseling and referral booths
• T-shirts (10,000 with messages; 2,000 with "TUREKE GUCECEKA:TUVUGE SIDA" slogan)
• HIV/AIDS service sites brochure (5,000)
• 60,000 program brochures with youth logo and slogans
• Crusade bumper stickers with break the silence slogan (5,000)

Impact

• Over 3.4 million people watched or followed up the matches
• 15,000 copies of posters, 20,000 copies of sports and health leaflets, 20,000 copies of the pamphlet on HIV/AIDS Orientation in Sports were distributed
• Over 1,000 youth leaders trained

Previous | Next
Table of Contents