Nelson Mandela once said that sport has the power to unite. It is that unifying spirit of teamwork, collaboration and working together, focused and determined on one main goal, to do your best to win. But sport also has the power to unify everyone involved, from players and spectators to referees and vendors, it perfectly brings people from different backgrounds and environments together. The CECT sports tournament held annually in Botswana aims to do just that, bringing together learners from different schools for a day of team building, making new friends from different schools, learning to preserve and play up at the end, and bringing the community together to enjoy. , celebrate and be proud of the bright talents and future generation in their community.
The annual CECT sports tournament
This year we hosted the annual CECT sports tournament at Satau Primary School in Botswana. This sporting event resumed last year after a 2-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was an exciting and action-packed day as Kachikau Primary School returned to defend their football championship title against Mabele, Kavimba, Parakarungu and Satau Primary School.
This annual event brings together learners from the 5 schools in the CECT region to participate in a fun day of sport and competition. Through this tournament, we are creating a platform to inspire the youth of Botswana through sport and fitness. Through our community empowerment and education projects in Botswana, we recognize the importance of actively fostering youth development, instilling good values and creating safe spaces for positive leisure activities. This year we have expanded the tournament and included netball as part of the tournament.
We partnered with Bomaid and FNB Botswana Foundation as title sponsors of the event, who sponsored the event’s sports kits, water bottles and sports equipment. Each learner who participated received a new sports kit and back-to-school stationery pack including workbooks, colored pencils, rulers, a sharpener and a pencil. This pack will ensure that no learner is left behind at school and has the necessary tools they need to fully participate in class.
The 5 schools all competed against each other in a 20 minute match, with the top 2 netball and football teams advancing to the final round, where a new champion would be crowned. The school fought hard until the end, with Mabele and Satau making it to the netball final and current champion Kachikau facing Mabele in the football final.
The final match was a breathtaking showcase and all the teams left everything on the pitch, but there could only be one winner. Congratulation to Mabele School to win the netball tournament and our reigning champions Kackikau for lifting the cup 2 years in a row. Each player and coach received an end-of-event medal presented to them by the local leader.
We are very grateful to Sea Pride Foods for partnering with us again this year to cater the event and ensure our players, guests and coaches have all the fuel and energy they need to tournament. The Vuche Vuche Basket Weaving group joined us again this year and prepared delicious meals for our VIPs and learners as well as thank you gifts for all our guests. Working with our local ABC partners and suppliers in Botswana like Sea Pride Foods and involving the community projects we support like Vuche Vuche through this tournament is our way of creating opportunities for collaboration and shared participation in our goal of investing in local communities. where we operate.
The event was a great success and the atmosphere during the matches was electrifying. It was overwhelming to see the community support and generous donors who went above and beyond to make this event a success. We look forward to CECT 2024, where new champions will be crowned and more lives will be impacted!
“Victory is having done your best. If you did your best, you won. – Billy Bowerman
