‘Life-changing’ trip to Rwanda for rugby referee

LOCAL rugby referee, Duncan Fisken, will travel to Rwanda this week to  be part of a charity trip which promotes rugby among schoolchildren.

The trip is organised by Friends of Rwanda Rugby – a small charity which teaches rugby to boys and girls in some of the most impoverished regions of Rwanda.

The aim of the tour is to use rugby as part of the ongoing healing process  in Rwanda, post-civil war, and to deliver training to a small group of up and coming referees.

Duncan, a Somerset Rugby Referee Society referee said, “Friends of Rwanda Rugby has been organising these trips for several years, but this is the first time that a referee development element has been included.

“I am also the sole society referee on the trip and the first referee from the Somerset society to take part. I have been tasked with preparing and delivering the referee development component of the tour, for which I have been helped by the RFU South West England match official development officer, Clare Daniels.

“I have spent a lot of time involved in the youth game, first as a coach and latterly as a referee and it’s  a wonderful cause to be involved in. I personally gain a lot of satisfaction working with the youth teams as they tend to be  more open to influence and therefore I can have an impact on the way they play the game. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to be able to work on referee development, which is aimed at supporting the youth game.

“I believe the programme has made a huge difference. Sport development in Rwanda is all part of the ongoing healing process post-genocide and rugby, in particular, has core values which are extremely valuable; teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship. Friends of Rwanda Rugby has, over the years, been able to raise enough funds to employ 20 full-time regional development officers in the country, so that really has an impact.

“This will most likely be a life-changing experience for me! This is the first time that a referee element has been included in one of these tours, so I am really looking forward to running the inaugural referee development workshop in Kigali. We have 20 referees attending from around the country.  It will also be enormous fun to be refereeing some great games involving enthusiastic players. It’s a bit of a cliché but I also look forward to making a difference!

“I’m very fortunate in that I have lived and worked overseas for 23 years, plus travelled widely in most continents, so am used to dealing with what I find in developing countries. I think the biggest challenge will therefore be at a different level. The Rwandan education system is very much of the Victorian era and classroom learning by rote is the norm.

“I need to try and ensure that my workshop breaks this mould and that it is much more interactive, that I am not just the teacher but also a mentor. English is not the first language for the players or the referees, so I will also need to work at ensuring I can communicate clearly. I taught scuba diving in Asia for some years so at least have experience in working with students with a native language other than English!”

If you would like to find out more about the charity and the trip, visit friendsofrwandanrugby.com  To donate to the charity, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1008006