Imagine stepping off a bus in the middle of
nowhere. You don’t know the
language. You don’t see any other way to
get back home from this remote place.
This is a place called Rubanda.
Rubanda Village is in the far Western border of Uganda. The closest trading center is in Rwanda. International Sport Connection’s mission is to touch each corner of Uganda through coach training and player mentoring. International Sport Connection aims to reach out to educators and coaches in communities that can be mentors for the youth as they grow. Soccer is a sport that brings people from around the world together and ISC has used this idea of using a ball to bring people together.
When the Assistant Director of the International Sport Connection, Lisa Berg, was invited to this small village, she knew she had to go. After 8 hours on a public bus, she was welcomed at the opening of a soccer field that was carved out of a mountainside to help encourage the community and children in the area of Rubanda.
In Rubanda, Coach Lisa Berg and ISC Trained Coach Majidah Nantanda (the Ugandan Women’s National Team Coach) gave a speech to the villagers, identified upcoming coaches, and played in a soccer match against locals.
“From the mountainsides in the West to the vast
desert in the North to the banks of Lake Victoria, soccer is a uniting factor
for Ugandans. I can travel to hidden
places of Uganda and still overcome language and cultural barriers just by
kicking a soccer ball with new friends. On
behalf of the International Sport Connection, it is a pleasure to continue to
provide encouragement and education to coaches in all corners of this beautiful
country!”
-Coach Lisa Berg
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