Rugby Volunteer in Botswana

Bhubesi Pride Foundation has been in partnership with the Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) since the charity’s work began in Gaborone in 2011. We’ve run coaching programs with children from Old Naledi and initiated legacy projects alongside G4S Botswana to improve schools’ ablution facilities, safety and security. We’ve arranged for coaches from South Africa’s national team setup to assist the BRU, worked with club teams and U20 players and added Maun and Selebi-Phikwe as project locations. Our hope for the future is to build on our relationship with the BRU to ensure both our organisations meet shared goals by seeing rugby used as a continued force for good. Working with the BRU and achieving our goals, we aim to assist with relevant resources, provide youth coaching and coach education through our volunteer program and other coaching activities to contribute to the growth of the game and the use of the sport as a tool for education.

Every day and week is different. Typically, upon arrival into a new project location, you’ll visit schools or a community and meet the children and teachers, coaches or development officers, to finalise plans for the forthcoming program. Coaching sessions take place in the mornings or afternoons, with supplementary coaching activities – such as working with club teams or delivering coach education workshops – often arranged for location visits. We run big tournament days, which volunteers manage alongside community stakeholders. And each area offers various activities, from game viewing to water sports. Then there’s the transit from country to country – an experience in itself.