Social impact of IBF project in Rwanda stregthened by Right To Play's Sport for Life Skills and Gender Equality training

MIES - The International Basketball Foundation hired Right To Play at the beginning of the year to help  strengthen and increase the social impact of our project in Rwanda, which is run by the Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA).

Training on Sport for Life Skills Development including Monitoring, Evaluation and learning

From 8th to 10th February, Right To Play conducted a 4-day training on sport for life skills development including monitoring, evaluation and learning with 6 FERWABA coaches (3 from St. Andre primary school in Muhanga and 3 from Gacuba II/B primary school in Rubavu) as well as 2 FERWABA staff in charge of the project. The training comprised both theoretical and practical sessions on the development of life skills through basketball, inclusiveness, safety, leading and assessing basketball session, the “Reflect-Connect-Apply” (RCA) method, as well as an introduction to results based management and other monitoring and evaluation tools. The participants subsequently received the “Sport for Development” training manual, which contains various techniques, tools and approaches of how to develop critical life skills of children through basketball.

As part of a Monitoring and Evaluation session, the coaches developed a logical framework for this project, which was subsequently assessed and revised by Right To Play and FERWABA. In addition, the coaches were sensitized to gender-related factors and ensuring a safe and supportive playing environment. They committed to tracking the level of inclusiveness of girls and of children with disabilities in basketball activities, and assessing the children’s playgrounds, including access to safe drinking water, to maximize children’s learning.

The coaches quickly understood what life skills are and how they can be developed through play. All the coaches actively participated in the training activities, showed eagerness to learn, and were highly susceptive to the training content. Overall, the comparison between pre-test and post-test results demonstrated a significant change in the participants’ knowledge of the addressed topics.

Training on Gender Equality

On 4th and 5th of May, Right To Play conducted a Gender Equality training with the same 6 coaches and 2 FERWABA staff. During the training, participants discussed the participation of both girls and boys in basketball, how to capture boys’ and girls’ achievement and improvement, how to counter stereotypes, and how to identify and address gender-specific issues. An awareness session on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Harassment was also part of the training.

Overall, the participants actively engaged in the workshop activities and showed interest in the topics discussed. As a main challenge to involving girls equally in basketball sessions, they expressed the unwillingness of many parents to let their daughters participate in sport activities. They left the training feeling empowered and motivated to ensure equal participation of girls and boys in their activities by paying particular attention to girls’ needs and promoting their skills development while also advocating for change in their communities.

Follow-up and Coaching

In the first half of June, Right To Play staff conducted the first follow-up visits to the coaches to observe their implementation of the knowledge acquired during the two trainings. The visits revealed that the coaches were effectively implementing life skills development sessions despite minor difficulties in the formulation of RCA questions. They were planning their basketball sessions beforehand and understood the importance of this planning process. They ensured active participation of both girls and boys in each session. The participating children were very enthusiastic and willing to learn.