
Location
Key achievement
Espérance
The consequences of the genocide in 1994 still weigh heavily on the population of Rwanda. In the city of Kigali, the country’s three main ethnic groups all live together in very dense and underserved communities.
Through their Football Amahoro (or Football for Peace) methodology inspired by the street football approach developed in Colombia, Espérance has transformed the beautiful game into a social theatre giving participants from different ethnic groups the opportunity to reconcile their differences and develop strategies for peaceful cooperation. They also use football as a tool to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic, gender equality and to develop skills which can be transferred into the world of work like leadership and confidence.
Esperance trains yearly 10,000 young people on their football fields, and their Football for Hope Center of Kimisagara - the most disadvantaged neighbourhood of Kigali - has the potential to reach up to 30,000 people.