Rugby is a unique sport. It teaches specific human qualities that stick with players for a lifetime. It develops character, resilience, self-confidence, and a sense of pride. It promotes fundamental values such as respect, integrity, and discipline, but also important life skills such as assertiveness, problem-solving, and decision making. Rugby is a sport for all, no matter the gender, age, size, level of fitness, agility, or coordination. It helps build a healthy mind. It encourages a spirit of comradery and sportsmanship.

Jaribu Rugby- Junior Rugby Development Program

Through our Junior rugby program, young boys and girls are introduced to the sport. They are provided with rugby skills and life skills, from primary school level all the way to senior level. After every session, the players are provided with a hot meal.

The program is designed as follows

• Weekly school visits-reaching over 1000 pupils in 25 schools in Nairobi and Kiambu county.
• Weekend rugby sessions- training over 100 boys and girls in every center from U9s to U17s.
• Shamas Cup and Shamas league Happening every quarter for rugby 7s and 15s

Senior Teams program- We have senior teams for boys (ages 18-21) and ladies (ages 16-21) who have graduated from Jaribu Rugby Junior Program

Education Program

• Education and Employability–Part of Shamas’ mission is to make sure that beneficiaries are provided with quality education and with the necessary knowledge and skills needed in the current job market. Since 2017, we have been providing secondary school scholarships to public and private secondary schools. In 2019, we started investing in tertiary education by providing university scholarships to both public and private universities.
• Secondary School Scholarships–Academic scholarships are awarded to boys and girls through criteria that focus on academic merit and socio-economic background. Children who are very talented in rugby are also given the opportunity to be scouted by secondary schools for sports scholarships.
• University Scholarships-After secondary school, students who have performed well in their exams and have qualified for University are awarded scholarships to pursue a degree of their
  This sets them up in the right trajectory towards their career paths.

Weekly Study groups– We mobilize students to meet weekly before rugby sessions to hold academic discussions, review past paper exams, and have time for individual study. This happens under supervision of a teacher or a coach

The life skill program focuses on the holistic development of our beneficiaries by equipping them with life skills that would enable them to make informed and independent decisions for a brighter future. We have designed two programs;

Take control- It is designed to introduce life skill sessions to primary school children.

Engage yourself- an advanced life skills program designed for secondary school students through the Shamas Rugby programs, boys and girls are introduced to the sport at a young age and are provided with rugby skills and life skills, from primary school all the way to senior rugby level.

In order to work on the holistic development of our beneficiaries, it is necessary to build a healthy and sustainable relationship between Shamas and the communities we work in.

Community Engagement entails:

• Understanding the beneficiaries’ background.
• Empowering the caregivers of our beneficiaries.
• Strengthening the resilience of the communities we reach.
• Understanding the dynamics of the communities.

Community Barazas- through our social work department we conduct community meetings to engage parents and stakeholders on emerging issues and community challenges they face. These discussions inform Shamas on key issues to address through our life skills and rugby programs as we engage the children.

Home Visits- we home visits to be able to enroll new beneficiaries into the program as well as establish a rapport with parents and guardians. This process also enables Shamas to map out exact areas where our beneficiaries come from.

Response activities- We respond to emerging issues affecting our beneficiaries directly by engaging their parents and carrying out interventions such as counseling. COVID_19 period we have been able to come to aid our beneficiaries by responding to their needs and emerging issues.