Fwd: Update on Discs for Africa
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Rodrigue Dufaur
Oct 10, 2010, 7:18:21 PM10/10/10
to stephanie lees, Discs for All
Hey Steph,
Sorry for replying late, once again. I finally got around to read your great email, it's fantastic to read all the good work that is being achieved in Mozambique, I am glad the game's picking up as you describe it, it's just simply and basically awesome. Discs for All hasn't gone very far since last time I wrote but there's a google group I'll encourage you to join (see the cced email address) and a facebook page on which you can post news from Mozambique and discs requests (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Discs-For-All-Disques-Pour-Tous/131564060217962?ref=ts#!/pages/Discs-For-All-Disques-Pour-Tous/131564060217962?ref=ts) nothing too organised yet. It looks like we need to find people travelling to Mozambique from Italy, Germany or France!
In Mali we have 3 teams going now in Bamako training regularly rangin from once a week to daily sessions! Keleya village girls still going as well with neighbouring villages wanting to learn the game - this is an initiative that will be lead by Right to Play. The public here are local kids with their local coaches that my friend, my girlfriend and I tought as we went along. Very hard to get fields and kids motivated at the beginning but it's slowly getting there. We sponsored and organised 3 tournaments now, ultimate was in the newspapers after the second one and on national TV after the third one! But there's definitely no money so having them organising a tourney is difficult, we rent the fields for that at around 12 euros for the afternoon and it's way above their budget, we had to help them with transport costs so... Each team as jerseys though coming from wrongly printed series from jump and reach / Gaïa so at least when it's tourney time they all shine!
Vincent is working hard on getting a sport/ultimate/tourism thing going with som girls and boys from Lyon (Moustix team) to travel here, share the locals life and teach them ultimate in exchange. With the collected discs, each team has now about 10 discs for their training but they get worned out quite quickly, we try to get more here. There's a project of taking it into school but I've had no time yet and may have missed the opportunity to set that up as term started two weeks ago... But I have got work to do...
A couple of Canadian expats helped us in training one of the teams but that basically all, the expat community doesn't seem to get out and play although we repeatdly invite them. I think playing under the sun (with no shade) from 8am to 10am on a Sat or Sun morning doesn't really appeal to them, plus it's either concrete or gravel/mud/sand and 5 on 5 size max. But well we're doing what we can.
I've got to go now, it's been lovely to read you and get some news from Mozambique, let's keep in touch via the FB page and see what comes out. If you know of people travelling to Mozambique from one of the European capitals, let's try and organise something to get them some discs there was for example a disc collect organised in Amsterdam so they have discs there.
Take care and many thanks,
Rodrigue
--
Learn to fly - Play Ultimate!
_______O __--
__/ \_
Discs for All:
_______O __--
__/ \_
Discs for All:
Discs for Africa:
http://discforafrica.free.fr/
http://ffindr.com/en/links/international/discs-for-africa
Please consider the environment before printing this email
http://discforafrica.free.fr/
http://ffindr.com/en/links/international/discs-for-africa
Please consider the environment before printing this email
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: stephanie lees <stephani...@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: 2010/3/29
Subject: Re: Update on Discs for Africa
To: Rodrigue Dufaur <rdu...@gmail.com>
From: Rodrigue Dufaur <rdu...@gmail.com>
To: stephanie lees <stephani...@yahoo.co.uk>
Sent: Wed, 10 February, 2010 18:39:50
Subject: Update on Discs for Africa
From: stephanie lees <stephani...@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: 2010/3/29
Subject: Re: Update on Discs for Africa
To: Rodrigue Dufaur <rdu...@gmail.com>
Hi Rod
Well what have we been upto in Mozambique?!
First of all; last year we went 4 hours up the coast to help out with some Peace Corps volunteers there to a place called Xai -Xai. Basically, although we are not directly linked with the project we have been helping out with some of our disc knowledge. There is basically a teacher training college up there, where more than 40 trainee teachers are learning the game of ultimate over the duration of 1 year in order to teach this in schools when they qualify and get jobs. So with the sport being taught in many schools now, ultimate is starting to grow here. However, obviously all these schools have limited funds and so to get discs is very hard. We donated quite a few discs that we were able to pick up from Paganello last year, with the help of yourself and Jumpi. We were also able to collect some kit that we were able to use for our team here in Maputo. This was very useful. The Mozambicans here are very grateful.
Last year we were able to sponsor (personally) 6 Mozambicans to go to Johannesburg where we played in South African Nationals and shocked many teams there by coming in 3rd place. We have been training our Mozambicans up so much now and not only have they improved loads (the players no longer want to be on Joe Bolton's (ex GB) team but rather on one of our particularly talented Mozambican's team - we love it!), they just simply love the game. Each week more and more Mozambicans are coming out to play and recently we as ex-pats are starting to be completely out numbered by local talent. Which is obviously the way it should be. But yes, every week we are being asked for discs, as the Mozambicans are unable to get their hands on any. We still have a few left from Rimini last year, but I am sure it won't be long before we could do with a new bunch being brought out here.
Our projects for this year include SA nationals again. This year we will be mixing with the team from Swaziland as the tournament is all the way in Cape Town. Unfortunately it looks like this will be more of an ex-pat affair as to take any of our local guys will cost huge amounts (about $700 per player!). However, we are working on gaining some sponsprship and some friends/fellow disc lovers have been very generous in their donations. Our aim at the moment is to take at least 2 Mozambicans with us. If we can achieve this, we will be very happy. Either way our aim will be to make the final of SA Nationals this year.
Our other project includes the annual tournament of Xefina HAT. This will be running for the 3rd year and includes players from all over Africa. Last year we had players from SA, Mozambique, Swaziland and Uganda. Watch this space for more info!!
With regards to your proposal for taking Discs for Africa further afield, I think it is a fabulous idea. You have achieved so much with what you have already done, and if our local talent is anything to go by, we have learnt that people who don't have much love to learn new things! I would support you fully in your new project!
Good luck!
Steph
Well what have we been upto in Mozambique?!
First of all; last year we went 4 hours up the coast to help out with some Peace Corps volunteers there to a place called Xai -Xai. Basically, although we are not directly linked with the project we have been helping out with some of our disc knowledge. There is basically a teacher training college up there, where more than 40 trainee teachers are learning the game of ultimate over the duration of 1 year in order to teach this in schools when they qualify and get jobs. So with the sport being taught in many schools now, ultimate is starting to grow here. However, obviously all these schools have limited funds and so to get discs is very hard. We donated quite a few discs that we were able to pick up from Paganello last year, with the help of yourself and Jumpi. We were also able to collect some kit that we were able to use for our team here in Maputo. This was very useful. The Mozambicans here are very grateful.
Last year we were able to sponsor (personally) 6 Mozambicans to go to Johannesburg where we played in South African Nationals and shocked many teams there by coming in 3rd place. We have been training our Mozambicans up so much now and not only have they improved loads (the players no longer want to be on Joe Bolton's (ex GB) team but rather on one of our particularly talented Mozambican's team - we love it!), they just simply love the game. Each week more and more Mozambicans are coming out to play and recently we as ex-pats are starting to be completely out numbered by local talent. Which is obviously the way it should be. But yes, every week we are being asked for discs, as the Mozambicans are unable to get their hands on any. We still have a few left from Rimini last year, but I am sure it won't be long before we could do with a new bunch being brought out here.
Our projects for this year include SA nationals again. This year we will be mixing with the team from Swaziland as the tournament is all the way in Cape Town. Unfortunately it looks like this will be more of an ex-pat affair as to take any of our local guys will cost huge amounts (about $700 per player!). However, we are working on gaining some sponsprship and some friends/fellow disc lovers have been very generous in their donations. Our aim at the moment is to take at least 2 Mozambicans with us. If we can achieve this, we will be very happy. Either way our aim will be to make the final of SA Nationals this year.
Our other project includes the annual tournament of Xefina HAT. This will be running for the 3rd year and includes players from all over Africa. Last year we had players from SA, Mozambique, Swaziland and Uganda. Watch this space for more info!!
With regards to your proposal for taking Discs for Africa further afield, I think it is a fabulous idea. You have achieved so much with what you have already done, and if our local talent is anything to go by, we have learnt that people who don't have much love to learn new things! I would support you fully in your new project!
Good luck!
Steph
From: Rodrigue Dufaur <rdu...@gmail.com>
To: stephanie lees <stephani...@yahoo.co.uk>
Sent: Wed, 10 February, 2010 18:39:50
Subject: Update on Discs for Africa
Hi Steph,
Long time no see, sorry for not having been in touch. I hope all is well, and let me start by wishing you all the best for 2010, may ultimate grow in Africa!
Your invitation to the facebook group support mozambique ultimate reminded me of your latest email to me which I think gave the latest on the project you are leading there and which I do not seem to be able to find, which annoys me quite a lot. So if you have it in your sent messages, please send it again!
I am currently in Mali where frisbee was started recently, by a friend of mine, inspired by the discs for africa project: http://ffindr.com/en/blog/2010/01/27/bringing-frisbee-to-africa.
I will continue what he has started for another few months.
We and other people are thinking of making the adventure bigger and have started to think about it a bit more seriously, all in the document attached. Tell me what you think!
I will go to the facebook group soon to see what's up but if you could send that email again that would be great, or update me briefly on recent developments (unless all is on facebook).
One last thing, what happened in Paga, did you take discs from there at the end? Jumpi told me quite a fes discs were collected and I asked for some feedback but he never replied... I will try to chase him up.
Cheers,
Rodrigue
PS: There are discs collected in France and Germany, I believe Rimini as well and some left in London maybe, if you guys need some, let me know!
--
Learn to fly - Play Ultimate!
_______O __--
__/ \_
Discs for Africa:
http://discforafrica.free.fr/
http://ffindr.com/en/links/international/discs-for-africa
Please consider the environment before printing this email
--
Learn to fly - Play Ultimate!
_______O __--
__/ \_
Discs for Africa:
http://discforafrica.free.fr/
http://ffindr.com/en/links/international/discs-for-africa
Please consider the environment before printing this email
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