Amputee Football Thrives in Rwanda, Fostering Unity and Resilience

In the capital Kigali, amputee football players clatter their crutches as they chase the ball, driven by a bigger dream: to compete on the international stage. Children cheer excitedly as a goalkeeper uses his remaining arm to dive and block a shot.

Amputee football — a seven-a-side version where players move on crutches and the goalkeeper has one arm — has grown steadily in Rwanda over the past decade. Many players say they have found a community on the pitch after embracing a sport they once thought impossible to play.

For many, the sport offers not just physical rehabilitation but also a sense of belonging.

In Kigali, amputees compete to promote healing and social cohesion after psychological trauma, including the darkest chapter of the nation's history: the 1994 genocide, when about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by Hutu extremists in 100 days.

Nyiraneza Solange was born two years after the genocide and lost a leg at age five after a fall that led to infection. She said the resilience of those who lost limbs in the genocide drew her to amputee football.

Encouraged by the former coach of the country's first amputee football team, who told her she could play using crutches, she quickly shed her fears.

“I don’t even think about missing a leg,” Solange said, explaining that she feels free while playing and has overcome the stigma attached to being an amputee.

Rwanda has an estimated 3,000 lower-limb amputees. Some are genocide survivors. Others have lost limbs in traffic accidents or from disease.

Louise Kwizera, vice president of the Rwanda Amputee Football Federation, said the sport helps players learn to trust again and build unity in a society “that was once divided.”

“In communities affected by conflict or trauma, the pitch becomes a place of peace. People who may have different pasts come together as teammates,” Kwizera told The Associated Press.