Tambura County Hosts Historic Girls' Football Tournament for Peace
Tambura County Hosts Historic Girls' Football Tournament for Peace
By Waure Eddy
A one-week peace football tournament organized by the Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CODEP) for girls in Tambura County came to an end late last week.
The tournament was part of a peace-building project to greater Tambura that aimed at building back socio-cohesion among the diverse community of Tambura County following two years of communal tension in the area.
The peace-building project was launched early this in March 2023, with funding support from the United States Embassy-Juba.
Four girls’ football teams were drawn up to take part in the one-week exercise that brought excitement and a smile on the faces of the communities of Tambura County.
The girl's team included the St. Mary girls’ team, Tambura Super star girls’ team, Rhino girls’ team, and Young Star girls’ team.
Speaking during the concluding ceremony of the tournament at Tambura Freedom Square on Sunday the 27 August, 2023, the Executive Director of Tambura County Mr. Natale Cosmos applauded CODEP for the wonderful program citing that this showed that peace has begun to return in the county.
“We should join hands together with CODEP to bring peace to the communities who are yarning for peace in their different localities; the peace tournament is not only for the girls but for all people living in Tambura County”, Cosmos urged.
On the other hand, Peace Building Manager Mr. Beneth William Bazie expressed his gratitude to the people of Tambura for bringing peace back to the County; he said that the football game would bring peace to all.
“These projects target Tambura, Ezo, and Yambio County respectively, I have seen peace now in Tambura after all the conflict that had happened in the last two years, which displaced people and destroyed social fabrics”.
The Chairperson of Tambura Local Football Association Mr. Capi Joseph noted that this was the first of its kind for a football tournament to be organized for girls in Tambura County.
Joseph credited CODEP in collaboration with the Tambura Local Football Association for organizing such a football tournament for the first time for girls in the county, terming it a sign of peace.
“There is a need to promote the girls in terms of football activities to keep them busy and encourage them to join schools or vocational training centers”.
