The European Union and Germany on Thursday handed over a newly rehabilitated community sports ground in South Sudan’s Terekeka County, saying the facility would provide young people with a space to build social ties and promote peaceful coexistence.
EU Ambassador to South Sudan Pelle Enarsson, German Deputy Head of Mission Nicole Hoffman and representatives of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH handed over the facility to Terekeka County Commissioner Emmanuel Loku and local community representatives.
The rehabilitation was co-funded by the European Union and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
“Today we hand over this sports field, just one piece of land, but an important one. Yet the real prize is all of you here,” Ambassador Enarsson said at the handover ceremony.
“Through this work you have become coaches of inclusive sport and of peace, and you will be the champions in your own community.”
Hoffman said sport, particularly football, could help bring communities together and equip young people with skills such as teamwork and organisation.
“For me football is what really brings a community together. I know wrestling too. Football speaks to everyone, everywhere; it’s something that brings the world together,” she said.
The delegation also met Loku and representatives of his administration and the community to discuss development, local needs, preparations for elections and sport.
Loku said improvements had been made to the sports ground, including its drainage system, and thanked the donors for their support.
“We have done a lot of activities here before. It was not like this, but now it is much better. And I think it is the best playground now in the county,” Loku said.
“We want to shift from cattle community to be a football and tennis community.”
The upgraded facility is intended to provide a safe and inclusive space for young people and support activities promoting peaceful coexistence, inclusion and gender equality.
and then