A youth basketball camp is underway in Kigali in order to equip young players with basketball skills and expertise as well as impart them with life values such as teamwork, love, respect and sportsmanship.

Organized in partnership with Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA), the camp is an initiative of Hoops Genesis Ventures (HGV), a company that manages and runs various football and basketball leagues in India.

The camp is taking place at STECOL Masoro from Monday, December 19 and will run until Thursday, December 22.

According to Innocent Kwizera, a basketball coach and founder of HGV, the camp is meant to build belief in young sports men and women that they can excel in the game regardless of their background.

"We have selected about 30 Rwandan youth aged below 18 years for the camp. We want to train talented young people that basketball is more than just bouncing the ball, as it requires proficiency just like other professions,” he states.

The camp will be an occasion to teach participants values of a basketballer from practice, adapting to healthy feeding habits and being a good leader to mental strength while on court.

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Kwizera added that basketball players will also get to know that they shouldn’t limit themselves from pursuing and mastering other talents that encompass creativity, for instance, playing musical instruments, such as the guitar, piano or drawing, and so forth as more opportunities are open to those who are multitalented.

The plan after the camp is to start an academy in Rwanda that will work for Rwandans aged six and above.

"We hope to create tournaments for the basketball community in Rwanda as a whole, especially in the rural areas,” he said.

The camp is free of charge and is expected to be organised twice every year, in efforts to groom a big number of talent, and offering scholarships to gifted young players that can’t afford school fees.

In order to fulfill the camp’s future purpose, Kwizera calls upon more collaborations, and sponsorships from Rwandan companies.

He urges parents to offer their children a chance to showcase their talents and help them achieve their dream of what the future can offer for their talents.

Besides playing basketball, participants will also be engaged in painting, singing, dancing, reciting, and acting, among others.