The Associação Mafalala Rugby Clube is an association that undertakes various actions with the aim of developing community empowerment through sport. Inclusive, it operates in an integrated format, drawing inspiration from the constitutional endorsement of associations, under which civil society has the right and the duty to contribute to the social development of the community in which it operates. The project is based on 5 fundamental pillars: employability, training, nutrition, entrepreneurship and infrastructure/equipment. Its team is made up of all the members of the club and represented by its board; project management belongs to Paulo Murinello, the sports department is in the hands of Rui Veríssimo, and community management is led by Omar Ali Mohamede.
In order to be more effective and have a greater impact on the community, the project is divided by age, setting out a strategy for each stage of the lives of children and young people. For children between 6 and 11, the sport is taught methodically at a foundational level, and there is also nutritional support, which includes nutritious snacks at the end of each class. They aim to create strong cooperation with the neighbourhood's two primary schools, with approximately 1,000 children in after-school programmes. For young people between 11 and 17, alongside playing the sport, there is training that allows those in the project to consolidate core knowledge in subjects such as Mathematics, Portuguese and English, among others, as well as to develop soft skills related to software and the internet. For those aged over 18, the project is concerned with employability, creating direct jobs linked to the club and also integrating people into a human resources pool with a view to professional placement with partners. Entrepreneurship is another crucial pillar; the staging of periodic events, such as the Mafalala Rugby Circuit and the Mafalala International Tournament, aims to involve the whole community, energising it and giving all the businesses there the opportunity to flourish. As for infrastructure and equipment, there is still a great deal of work to be done, as minimum training conditions need to be created, which are currently still lacking, as is the case with the lighting and levelling of the small Mafalala pitch.
The project is based on five fundamental pillars: employability, training, nutrition, entrepreneurship and infrastructure/equipment
One of the association's biggest dreams is to build a headquarters (clubhouse) that can give physical support to the ambitions of the club, which aims to be a benchmark in Mozambique. The population has welcomed the project enthusiastically, and as time goes by it has more and more participants. The driving forces behind the Xibedjanas believe that, from the sports club and the association's actions, a 'tribe' will emerge made up of children, men and women, all with their own dreams, who, united, will help one another achieve their goals. They take the opportunity to invite anyone who wishes to, and who is of good character, to join the initiative. The future is promising!
