Zimbabwe Rugby Teams Help Keep Girls off Street

Rugby is often played in the wealthy areas outside of Zimbabwe's major cities. Now the sport has moved into poor areas where young women are playing to escape from poverty¹ and early marriage.

Organizers² of the rugby clubs say playing rugby will not ease³ their economic struggles. But, they hope it can provide a place for young women to go instead of spending time in the streets.

Zimbabwe's economy⁴ is weak. There are fewer jobs than before. And the value of Zimbabwean money is falling fast.

The area of Domboshava is only 27 kilometers from Harare, the capital city. It is a center for the transportation⁵ of farm produce like vegetables and fruit. But the area is also a center for sex work where young girls would make as little as two dollars.

Takudzwa Ngirazi coaches the all-female Zimbiru Academy⁶ Rugby Club in Domboshava. He said he wanted the girls "to stay away from the streets."

Caroline Makari is the 46-year-old team manager. She said, "If (the girls) are training four days a week and they have a game on Saturday, it gives them very little time to think about anything else."

Twenty-year-old Bridget Magasu is one of the players on the Zimbiru team. Most of the young women are from poor families. Many had never touched a rugby ball a few years ago. Now Zimbiru is part of a 15-team league.

Magasu spoke⁷ with reporters from Reuters during practice at the Zimbiru Primary School in Domboshava. "Rugby has changed my life because I spend most of my time at the ground. This protects me (from) other social ills like drugs and substance⁸ abuse," she said.

Their training sessions⁹ include running, passing and fighting for the ball called a "scrum."

Since there is little to no financial support for the teams, all of this is done on a limited budget. The girls eat sugarcane for quick energy during training. "Sometimes during our games, we go with no food. Funding bus fares is also hard for us," Ngirazi said.

Four of Zimbiru's players have made it to Zimbabwe's under-20 and under-18 teams.

Words in This Story

coach – n. a person who teaches, trains and directs¹⁰ a sports team

manager – n. someone who directs or who is in charge

league – n. a group of sports teams that play against each other

fare – n. the money a person pays to travel on a bus, train, boat, or airplane or in a taxi

1 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

2 organizers   

n.组织者( organizer的名词复数 )；备忘记事本，电子笔记本

参考例句：

• We need fewer organizers and more doers. 我们需要的是少些组织者，多些实干者。
• The organizers of the march were charged with assault and riotous assembly . 游行组织者被控侵犯人身及暴乱性非法集会。

3 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

4 economy   

n.经济；节俭；秩序；机体

参考例句：

• We must do our best to develop the national economy.我们必须努力发展国民经济。
• The country's economy is not very healthy.国家的经济不很景气。

5 transportation   

n.运输，运输系统，运输工具

参考例句：

• The transportation of goods by air costs a lot.航空运输货物花费很高。
• He finally solved the difficulty of transportation.他终于解决了运输的困难。

6 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 substance   

n.物质，实质，主旨

参考例句：

• There isn't anything of real substance in her book.她的书中没有任何真正实质性的内容。
• How long will the substance take to salt out?这种物质需要多长时间来盐析？

9 sessions   

n.（尤指法庭、议会等）开庭( session的名词复数 )；（自发或俱乐部的）聚会；会期；（进行某活动连续的）一段时间

参考例句：

• A few sessions talking to a counsellor should straighten him out. 跟辅道员谈几次就会使他改正过来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sessions will enable you to discuss problems with fellow asthma sufferers. 这些环节让你和其他哮喘病患者一起讨论问题。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 directs   

v.（用建议、指示、有益的情报等）指导( direct的第三人称单数 )；导演（戏剧或电影）；指示方向；把…对准（某方向或某人）

参考例句：

• Thinking directs one's actions. 思想指导行动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The teacher directs the work of his students. 这位教师指导他的学生工作。 来自辞典例句