SHORTLY after celebrating his 4th birthday, disaster came knocking. He suffered from a strange muscle illness that left him permanently disabled. But he did not resign to fate. Twenty seven years later, Emile Cadet Vuningabo has defied all odds to make it despite the disability.  In the past six years he has played a big role in the development of sitting volleyball. Currently he is national Men’s team captain.

This is how the story of the national sitting ball captain begun.

Thanks to people like him, sitting volleyball is one of the best performing sports disciplines in Rwanda.

Gisagara sitting volleyball and the national women’s team were recently crowned East African champions at a regional tournament held in Nairobi, Kenya.

The sport for the physically impaired persons was first introduced in Rwanda in late 2008 by Pierre Van Meenen, former president of the International Sitting volleyball Federation along with expert Jouke de Han from Netherlands on the invitation from local federation officials.

The last thing Vuningabo could have thought of in his childhood is becoming a star in sitting volleyball.

"I could not dream of sitting volleyball that was not even in the country yet, I just used to play football and volleyball until 2007 when I finished my secondary school studies. I started officially playing sitting volleyball in the late 2009,” he says.

During his primary and secondary school days, Vuningabo featured for his schools’ volleyball teams but unfortunately never won anything notable  but after ditching volleyball for sitting volleyball in 2009, he has gone on to win silverwares at local and regional levels.

The 27-year- old Vuningabo has featured for only Gasabo district-Intwari club since in 2009.

Major local titles won

After joining Intwari sitting V-Ball club in late 2009 as a learner, he never looked back and went on to develop his game and grew into one of the best players in the country.

He notes: "I’m fine at Intwari, I just feel at home. After joining the side in 2009, they welcomed me, mentored me and developed me into the player I am today. I can’t ask anything more at the club.”

Vuningoma has helped his team Intwari to win both the national sitting volleyball and sitball league titles in his first season, and they successfully retained both titles in each of the subsequent three seasons.

However, in 2013, they were dethroned by Gisagara. Last year, Intwari finished first runners-up and second runners-up this year behind champions Gisagara and Gatagara respectively.

National team duties

"Nothing pleases me than serving my country; when I’m in national team colours, I always do everything possible to fly the national flag high. I feel very honoured and proud to represent Rwanda on the international scene,” he says.

The soft-spoken Vuningabo earned his first national team cap in 2010 and he has never missed out a single call ever since. He featured for the national team in different international competitions.

Notably, he was a first line-up squad member of the 2010 World Sitting volleyball Championships team in the Unites States of America and team captain at the 2012 London Paralympics Games, although at both occasions they were eliminated in the group stages.

Vuningoma helped the national team win the World Sitball Championships in 2010 in Kampala, Uganda and also finished as first runners-up in 2013 in Kigali losing to Germany in the final. In 2010, he also won the Sub-Saharan sitting volleyball championships with the national team.

Turning 28 in October, Vuningabo has been the captain of the national sitting volleyball and sitball teams since November 2011.

 He doesn’t only play sitting volleyball but also juggles other jobs to make ends meet.  "I also have a job and it doesn’t affect my playing. I create time for each,” he explains. Apart from playing, Vuningabo is an Officer at National Union of Disabilities Organisation of Rwanda.

Future plans

The major target is appearing at the next Paralympics Games for the second time to be staged in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.

He said: "This is not a one-man battle, together as a team we have set ourselves a target to qualify for the 2016 Rio Paralympics and performing better than we did in London in 2012.”

"We are already in preparations and hopefully we will start playing international friendly matches in September ahead of early 2015 qualifiers. Egypt is our major threat in Africa.”

His advice to people living with disability

Vuningabo advises fellow disabled people especially the youth to participate in available sports disciplines.

"It’s high time that fellow people with disabilities stopped hiding and show the world what they are capable of doing. I believe sitting volleyball in Rwanda performs better than many disciplines.”

Who is Vuningabo?

Born Emile Cadet Vuningabo, was born in Bujumbura, Burundi on October 9, 1986 to Donat Kayumba (RIP) and Josephine Mukabutera, he is the last born from a family of eight children - five boys and three girls. His father and three siblings- one boy and two girls passed away.

Vuningabo attended Bugesera-based Rilima Primary School before going to Kamonyi-based GS Don de Dieu Remera-Rukoma for secondary school doing Maths and Physics in A’ level that he completed in 2007.

In 2012, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Sciences and Education from University of Rwanda- College of Education (UR-CoE) and current pursuing Masters degree in Project Management at Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta University.

Vuningabo was not born with any disability, but shortly after celebrating his fourth birth day, he suffered from a strange muscular disease on the left foot, which left him disabled despite all efforts by his parents to find a cure.

Still single, Vuningabo, who resides in Gikondo sector, Kicukiro District says former Rwanda National Paralympic Committee president Dominique Bizimana and Bosnia’s Mirzet Duran are his idols and source of inspiration.