Boitumelo Khutsafalo
18 April 2008
Gaborone — The Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) is sending the Under-13 Tlamelo Vultures for a tournament to be played in England this month.
Tlamelo Project is a charity in Old Naledi, which deals with the well-being of children. Rugby first joined the Tlamelo Project last year and has helped with coaching clinics and fun days for the children.
Confirming the trip, BRU secretary Oupa Pandor said that the union was invited to send a team of disadvantaged children who play rugby to a Mini World Cup-like tournament involving teams from Romania, India, Uganda, Kenya, Swaziland and England. Touraid is a foundation that helps disadvantaged children to have the opportunity to compete in a variety of events worldwide.
He also revealed that during the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) tournament in Gaborone last year, BRU took 500 children from the charity to support the Vultures. The Vultures went on to win the tournament when they defeated Tanzania in the final. They received food caps and T-shirts and enjoyed a day of fun and love. Rugby will be one of the first codes to send a team of disadvantaged children overseas. According to Pandor, it is something the union is extremely proud of. "We hope we can uplift the community by providing opportunities for kids," he said.
The team leaves on April 29 and returns on May 6. The team consists of 18 boys from the Tlamelo Project and the coordinator, Mathata Mosekwa, development manager from BRU, Zee Khumalo and the head of delegation, who is also the president of BRU, Dave Gilbert.
Khumalo, who is also the coach of the team, said that they have already started training the children. He stated that the children have never played rugby before. He concurred with Pandor that they are happy to be the first code in the country to send disadvantaged children to an overseas tournament.
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