Zimbabwe Rugby Teams Help Keep Girls off Street
2023-06-05
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1Rugby is often played in the wealthy areas outside of Zimbabwe's major cities.
2Now the sport has moved into poor areas where young women are playing to escape from poverty and early marriage.
3Organizers of the rugby clubs say playing rugby will not ease their economic struggles.
4But, they hope it can provide a place for young women to go instead of spending time in the streets.
5Zimbabwe's economy is weak.
6There are fewer jobs than before.
7And the value of Zimbabwean money is falling fast.
8The area of Domboshava is only 27 kilometers from Harare, the capital city.
9It is a center for the transportation of farm produce like vegetables and fruit.
10But the area is also a center for sex work where young girls would make as little as two dollars.
11Takudzwa Ngirazi coaches the all-female Zimbiru Academy Rugby Club in Domboshava.
12He said he wanted the girls "to stay away from the streets."
13Caroline Makari is the 46-year-old team manager.
14She said, "If (the girls) are training four days a week and they have a game on Saturday, it gives them very little time to think about anything else."
15Twenty-year-old Bridget Magasu is one of the players on the Zimbiru team. Most of the young women are from poor families.
16Many had never touched a rugby ball a few years ago. Now Zimbiru is part of a 15-team league.
17Magasu spoke with reporters from Reuters during practice at the Zimbiru Primary School in Domboshava.
18"Rugby has changed my life because I spend most of my time at the ground. This protects me (from) other social ills like drugs and substance abuse," she said.
19Their training sessions include running, passing and fighting for the ball called a "scrum."
20Since there is little to no financial support for the teams, all of this is done on a limited budget.
21The girls eat sugarcane for quick energy during training.
22"Sometimes during our games, we go with no food. Funding bus fares is also hard for us," Ngirazi said.
23Four of Zimbiru's players have made it to Zimbabwe's under-20 and under-18 teams.
24I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Rugby is often played in the wealthy areas outside of Zimbabwe's major cities. Now the sport has moved into poor areas where young women are playing to escape from poverty and early marriage. 2Organizers of the rugby clubs say playing rugby will not ease their economic struggles. But, they hope it can provide a place for young women to go instead of spending time in the streets. 3Zimbabwe's economy is weak. There are fewer jobs than before. And the value of Zimbabwean money is falling fast. 4The area of Domboshava is only 27 kilometers from Harare, the capital city. It is a center for the transportation of farm produce like vegetables and fruit. But the area is also a center for sex work where young girls would make as little as two dollars. 5Takudzwa Ngirazi coaches the all-female Zimbiru Academy Rugby Club in Domboshava. He said he wanted the girls "to stay away from the streets." 6Caroline Makari is the 46-year-old team manager. She said, "If (the girls) are training four days a week and they have a game on Saturday, it gives them very little time to think about anything else." 7Twenty-year-old Bridget Magasu is one of the players on the Zimbiru team. Most of the young women are from poor families. Many had never touched a rugby ball a few years ago. Now Zimbiru is part of a 15-team league. 8Magasu spoke with reporters from Reuters during practice at the Zimbiru Primary School in Domboshava. "Rugby has changed my life because I spend most of my time at the ground. This protects me (from) other social ills like drugs and substance abuse," she said. 9Their training sessions include running, passing and fighting for the ball called a "scrum." 10Since there is little to no financial support for the teams, all of this is done on a limited budget. The girls eat sugarcane for quick energy during training. "Sometimes during our games, we go with no food. Funding bus fares is also hard for us," Ngirazi said. 11Four of Zimbiru's players have made it to Zimbabwe's under-20 and under-18 teams. 12I'm Faith Pirlo. 13Faith Pirlo adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by Nyasha Chingono for Reuters. 14______________________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16coach - n. a person who teaches, trains and directs a sports team 17manager - n. someone who directs or who is in charge 18league - n. a group of sports teams that play against each other 19fare - n. the money a person pays to travel on a bus, train, boat, or airplane or in a taxi 20__________________________________________________________________ 21What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. Write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com or leave us a comment below. 22We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 23Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.