Gulu Sprinters Rugby Football Club (GUSFAB) is partnering with Cemelia Initiatives Africa to support key club activities. “The club is composed of young female athletes who actively engage in a variety of initiatives including club rugby, school rugby, income-generating activities, and environmental protection efforts in Gulu city and its surrounding areas,” Robert Ojok, the club’s Founder, revealed.

Prior to this partnership, GUSFAB had no partner dedicated to addressing mental health issues for girls at the club. In 2023, Cemelia Initiatives Africa began bridging this gap by using rugby as a tool for psychosocial support, encouraging girls to remain in school. The school rugby program includes several components such as educational scholarships, providing learners with scholastic materials, and offering sanitary supplies to vulnerable yet promising young girls in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions.

“The partnership has enabled GUSFAB to train secondary school girls in rugby while providing counselling sessions on mental health and the impact of drug and substance abuse to a team of 28 players. Additionally, two of the club's players have benefited from educational scholarships that cover all school-related costs, including tuition, development fees, educational school trips, stationery, lunch, uniforms, among others. We are pleased with this partnership,” the club’s Coach disclosed.

In addition to the school rugby program, GUSFAB conducts a range of other initiatives including income-generating activities for young women who are out of school, club rugby events, and environmental protection projects. The club is actively seeking partnerships and grants aligned with its annual work plan to effectively support and empower young females through these diverse programs.

Ojok Robert Mone
Founder, Gulu Sprinters Rugby Football Club