THE Association of Kigali Women in Sports (Akwos) has made promoting basketball from the grassroots levels its top priority this year.

Akwos president Felicite Rwemalika told Times Sport yesterday that they want to promote women basketball to what she described as an "outstanding” level.

"Last year, we did a lot in promoting women football and our focus this year is to elevate women basketball in the country,” confirmed Rwemalika.

Among the major targets set to be done this year include training primary school students on the role of sports for social change, hold an international conference on gender equity through sports for social change and training of schools’ directors to encourage girls to embrace sports.

Rwemalika hailed the Akwos efforts to promote women sports to ‘another level’. From July 2008 to early this year, Akwos continuously supplied sports equipments to more than 80 women teams in the country.

The equipments included football and basketball kits which eased in training and holding major competitions. Akwos provided football kits to Rwanda’s football body, Ferwafa worthy Frw25m.

The kits which included boots, balls were provided to 27 women teams’ country wide.

Akwos is also grateful to its partners who made enable them to reach their goals last year. The partners provided Akwos with funding and professional support.

They include the world’s leading designer and distributor of athletic footwear, Nike, Women Win which is a fund that empowers women and girls through sports globally, UNICEF, Let me play and Foundation for African Sports Development (FASD).

Akwos was set up to improve women’s standing in society and to boost their self-confidence.

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