Women who play volleyball regularly in the South Sudanese capital Juba say that more women should join them because of the many benefits of exercise and sport.
A group of women play volleyball near the Nimra Talata basketball statium twice per week, on Thursday and Saturday evenings from about 5:00 p.m. Other women play on Fridays at Juba One School.
Regina Disi, 24, plays for the Central Equatoria State team at the Nimra Talata volleyball court. She says that she wants to show other South Sudanese that women can also participate in sports activities.
“Now you can see in other countries people are competing in volleyball between girls but in South Sudan we do not have, that is why we want show up and tell them that we are here playing.”
“I would like to tell other ladies who were sitting idle at home should come and join us playing together.”
Salma Morris, a player for the national volleyball team, says she has discovered her dreams in volleyball and participates in many competitions in Juba as a way of staying healthy.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, she said, “When I was young I only played volleyball but when I grew up I started playing basketball because I have love for both basketball and volleyball. I am happy because I play both.”
Salma said that few women practice sports in South Sudan because they do not know its importance for the body. She also encourages those who fear to participate in sports because of old age to do exercise since sports has no age boundaries.
For her part, June Ojuku, 25, says she started playing volleyball at the age of 12. She said volleyball was her hobby and a way for her to exercise and to relax. “I also started playing basketball but I don’t enjoy it the way I enjoy playing volleyball,” Ojuku said.
Meanwhile, Regina also mentioned the lack of funds to support their activities as one of the challenges facing them in their practices. “We do not have any support from anywhere even from the Youth and Sports Ministry, we do not have any support from them nor even from NGOs.”
She called for support for women in South Sudan to improve in sports “So really my voice is going out to you as citizens of South Sudan we need you to help us as ladies in Nimra Talata ground,” she said.
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