South Sudanese government is exploring out-of-the-box solutions to promote cohesion and unity in the war-torn country. The government has announced that it will indulge the youth in a sports competition to be held in Juba and will be attended by youth from across the country.
The competition is expected to occur between Jan 27th and February 4th in a competition that will bring different stakeholders in promoting a healthy competitive spirit founded o the core values of peace and tolerance.
Graders and compactors working for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan prepared a soccer field Wednesday near a Juba primary school for the event. A contingency of Bangladeshi workers at UNMISS also is renovating Juba National Stadium and four other grounds ahead of the games.
The competition is happening for the third time in a row to commemorate the National Unity Day and will attract at least 450 youngsters. The selected 12 football (soccer) teams will compete in the tournament, and they are Juba, Wau, Malakal, Bentiu, Jonglei, Torit, Yambio, Kuajok, Abyei, Pibor, Aweil, and Rumbek. Additionally, there will be volleyball teams for both boy and girls selected from around the country.
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding the activities that are expected to be exposed to the different cultures, sleep, dine and interact with each other.
Sports has always been an effective way to bring people together and foster cohesion understanding and tolerance especially among the youth who are very susceptible to indulging in violent acts.
