Volunteer project proves to be a success story in Uganda
Ugandan children playing Gaelic Football earlier this summer. Photo by Ciara Crotty
By Cian O'Connell
A recent initiative in Uganda has proven to be a real success story.
The UCD VO sports development project, partnering with the Simba Wolfhounds, and with a contribution from World GAA, enabled more than 1,000 children receive Gaelic Football training.
Two communities and four schools were included in the project with Fintan Ryan delighted with the response. "Our goal was to promote sport in education, particularly empowering young people and young girls in their education and giving them a quality education through sport," Ryan explains.
"On top of that, a goal for UCDVO and myself was to ensure the volunteers had as good an experience as possible, to promote and cultivate global citizens, who act and volunteer regularly. It hit all of those marks, but even if it didn't, as a pilot project all you're looking for is feedback for the next one.
"So, we gained lots of insights for the next project, but we also managed to hit the targets we'd have been happy with a few years down the line. It was extremely impactful for me and an extremely powerful experience."
The fact that there was so much collaboration involved added an extra layer of satisfaction for all involved. "We'd UCDVO, who were the powerhouse behind it, in collaboration the UCD School of Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, where all the volunteers came from," Ryan says.
"We obviously had World GAA who were able to give input in terms of coaching and safeguarding of children, and also provide generous donations of equipment. On top of that, on the ground we'd Simba Wolfhounds, the first GAA club in Uganda.
"They'd great coaches here, local Ugandans, and we were able to supplement the work they've been doing. It was a huge collaborative process, sometimes challenging, to manage everything. The fact we had Ugandan culture meeting Irish culture, working together to get the most out of our work, but also the kids we worked with."
It was a hugely rewarding experience for everyone involved according to Ryan. "In total we'd 11 people at a time," he says.
Training sessions were provided in communities and schools. Photo by Ciara Crotty
"Joel Rookwood, an associate professor in the School of Physiotherapy and Sports Science, he's been involved in more than 20 projects like this around the world, with huge experience. He came out for the first 10 days to see the programme off the ground.
"It has been kind of his vision, I guess, that's shaped this. People have learned from him in his Sports Management course. We also had volunteers come in such as Ciara Crotty from Dublin, a senior county player, who was a great addition to the team. We had 11 at a time.
"There was a day between when Joel left and Ciara came, but we'd 12 in total as the Irish travelling party. It was great to have so many people, so talented, and worked so well together."
What does Ryan hope will happen in the future with the programme? "Long term, how I'd dream of things happening is having the Simba Wolfhounds field a team that travels to Ireland and is able to compete against other underage teams," Ryan responds.
"In the next few years, that is a great hope of mine. In the short term, I can say this because we had collaboration with coaches interested in Gaelic Football, local Ugandans, who've seen what happening and think this is a great thing in different towns.
"So, in the short term I see it being rolled out in towns around the area. We stayed in a place called Jinja, it had two schools where we worked in and in a local community not far from us, we also worked in another two schools. It is well set up now, we've started to integrate GAA as part of their education."
With a solid foundation established, Ryan is hopeful that Simba Wolfhounds will be able to bring juvenile teams to Ireland at some stage. "There is already tangible roll out and impact in other communities," Ryan adds.
"What I see happening is other areas and schools seeing what is going on, seeing the programme and adopting that in their own schools. We can see how impactful that has been for the students, that it brings it out in the community.
"Long term, hopefully we will be able to field teams in Ireland and give opportunities to kids that wouldn't have it before, to travel abroad to play sport, getting scholarships in America. These are long term things, but that is the vision."