Bayer 04 gives coaching training in refugee camps in Rwanda

Bayer 04 gives coaching training in refugee camps in Rwanda

In cooperation with the Football Club Social Alliance, instructors of Bayer 04 Leverkusen have been in Rwanda with the aim of coaching 50 young women and men living in different refugee camps to become football coaches for children. Also, the UNHCR, body of the United Nation has been involved in the initiative. 

The participants of the coaching training were young adults who had to flee their home countries the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, due to war or political instability.

Until spring 2018, 100 people from different refugee camps shall receive training to become coaches for children currently staying in refugee camps in Rwanda. In that way, the children shall be provided with the opportunity to participate in sport activities and thereby a secure environment in which a community feeling can develop.

Rwanda is since years, due to continuing political instability and conflicts in central Africa focal point for refugees, in particular from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.

The majority of the 160.000 refugees is living in six different refugees camps of the UNHCR. Almost 80% is women and children. Especially children are exposed to violence and rape. A mechanism to deal with the present situation is in many cases alcohol, drugs, aggression and violence.

For that reason, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and three other partners of the Football Club Social Alliance have taken the decision to offer 100 men and women the possibility to receive coaching training in order to then be able to provide children with football sessions in the six refugee camps.

The participants, selected by the UNHCR follow a training scheme consisting of two separate modules. The central focus of the courses is acquiring knowledge on how to give football sessions in the refugee camps in a manner that children can process trauma and learn about moral values.

Peter Quast, Bayer 04 instructor says about the 10th project in which he is involved “I was very impressed by how happy the people living here are and by the level of commitment regarding the project. We were able to provide the Young Coaches with a task which hopefully will develop into a good start in their future. We organised a festival and expected 100 children to attend, however, more that 400 children were present. It exceeded everything I had seen until now and the Young Coaches did a very good job. It made me very proud.”