It is not common to find a place that is only dedicated to raising young talents. In Rwanda, I know a few are there, but Club Rafiki is an exception.

Located in Nyamirambo, the place sees young people do all kinds of activities, and hearing tales of people that the place has raised is a story I have always wanted to tell.

The club works to empower young people by offering them a platform where they can engage in productive activities, other than being exposed to risky behaviours such as engaging in pre-marital sex and drug abuse.

It holds different activities such as sports and leisure, sexual and reproductive health education, women empowerment, culture promotion, among others.

Plus, it welcomes all young people with all kinds of talents but among its activities, basketball has always been the most popular. 

One Sunday morning, when I visited the place with a videography team, I wanted to learn about the place and capture the young basketball stars in their element.

The court was filled with young people playing, mostly boys. But to my surprise, I learned that even a number of young girls enjoy the game.

Every Saturday and Sunday, children and teenagers come to the courts for training; they normally arrive at around 8 am and by 10 am, training is done.

The place provides coaches for these young players, and it is done free of charge. It is only parents who wish for their child to have a personal coach that pay a certain amount.

Omar Tony Nsengumuremyi, the coordinator at Club Rafiki, says that basketball is one of the sports that is joined by many, and it is also one of the activities that has helped a lot of young people there to achieve their dreams.

"The only aim and goal of club Rafiki is to elevate young people and divert from bad behaviours; to educate them about good morals and empower them by shaping them into respectful and well educated people. They learn about discipline and focus, although they are young children, they understand the importance of all that,” he says.

He also adds that with basketball, they teach young people the importance of teamwork, by encouraging those with better skills to teach others, and work together to reach their dreams and goals.

"We don’t have many coaches here but we encourage them to teach each other. They don’t need to know a lot because as they teach each other, they learn more. There are coaches but also, we emphasise on that one point too, teamwork.”

The club welcomes children from the ages of 8 to 18 years, but even the younger and older ones are welcome to come learn and play.

However, not only do young people come to play and learn, a lot is learnt in terms of preparing them for the future. 

"My skills have improved since I started playing, I acquired a lot of knowledge in basketball and I believe the level I was on when I started is not the one I am on today. I can say, I am on a more professional level,” says Patrick Nizeyimana.

Nizeyimana, 18, started playing basketball at Club Rafiki when he was 8 years old. He is now playing with Intare- APR FC’s junior team. He says he has dreams of reaching the national level and making basketball his career.

Though the game is commonly known for boys, the club keenly empowers young girls with the talent to play too.

"Being a young girl playing basketball makes me believe that I will reach far. It also gives me hope that basketball is not only for men and that girls can play the sport and be as good. When I am playing, I feel that I can reach farther and I also feel capable,” says Lilian Uwase, a young basketball player.

Children that play basketball at Club Rafiki have the passion, love and also the will to learn, says Bassam Bizimana, a coach that played for years at the club.

The program of training young people at Club Rafiki starts with kids of age 8 to 20, so far the program trains approximately 300 children, but that number was way higher before Covid-19.

Club Rafiki was founded in 1974 by the Congregation of Dominican Fathers in Kigali City, Rwanda. There are many activities taking place at the club including youth empowerment, cultural activities, vocational training, and activities that empower girls.