Radio Miraya
2712: MBS. Empowering Africa: Inter School Athletic Championship
continuing mission-empower empowering Africa is organizing an inter-school athletic championship that will bring together 30 second-risk schools in centigratory state, while the event is aimed at promoting peace and unite through sports and for identifying talent and recently South Sudan has been in the world on the world map for the right reasons as South Sudanese athlete Gom Abraham sets a new personal best in the men's 1,500 meters national record at the Tokyo Athletic Association Middle Distance Challenge. These were held in Tokyo. Now Malak Phillip-Chol is the founder of the mission-empowering Africa and he joins us on the show. Good morning. Welcome to the program. Good morning my sister Irene Lasso and they listen else over Demraea. Right. Just briefly tell us about this idea behind organizing the championships inter-school championships. Yes Irene turned the listeners of prayer room air. I want to say thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to picture in this very conversation which is something that's okay. My name is Malak Phillip-Chol. The founder of Grand David Association South Sudan mission-empowering Africa again and the provisional team leader of the South Sudan Union and Youth Parliament. Of course the idea behind this arrangement you know talent is something that need to be identified. We have got young talented young people of the nation and if that talent is not being identified out of them then automatically they will not help them. So as mission-empowering Africa calls one time I was a runner and I know how important this athletic and other sport activities help me as personal as individual. So then this is the idea behind I say now if I was able to go you know to benefit from this why can't I come part when I still have the price blood and make sure that at least our young brothers sisters our sons and daughters are able to be identified and they the future in the world so that in the next 2025/2026 South Sudan will be at the same page with the race of the other countries. Right so the idea started in Rwanda. Okay so what do you intend to watch you from this event? Well first and foremost as I say that the events is blinking about 30 secondary schools together and because the program is going to be divided into two we are going to have the cross-country have marathon which for the individual athletes they're going for 18 kilometers and for the beginners more especially the student themselves boys will go for 12 kilometers and girls for 8 kilometers and of course now we cannot leave also the teachers to not to participate teachers are coming for 3 kilometers and of course the VIP like Irin Lassou and the race of the people who come for 2 kilometers because it's something that is bringing everyone on board so that the people is actively participate of course the day two is going to be strictly for the field events those that are good for 100 meters 200 meters then the 100 by 4 meters and those that will go for 1500 for girls 3,000 for girls 5,000 for boys and 10,000 for boys so and of course other race other categories are going to be like the long yum the triple yum you know the jubblings and short discussed throw so it is going to be it's going to bring everyone on board and every talent will be identified from each and every corner and of course now the good news is that once we have to identify all those we are not leaving them to sit like that they are going to come together as one team we train and that's going to be now the soldiers of the South Sudan athletic federations will be there now right so what is this happening the the bench is going to take place that is in July three days to the independent of the Republic of South Sudan so the cross country is going to be on the 5th of July that is a Friday then the other field events are going to be on the 6th of July that is going to be Saturday yes all right so we have two months to exercise exactly and you know the purpose exactly and this is this is the early preparation the beta right and you know I even started now running with some other schools and this is one of the first year now and that's what I wanted to tell this to the school that I'm listening to us here is that early preparation is better right so they need to come up oh yes why not I didn't I can't run very fast I think the last one I did with the support from the government of Japan which I did in 2018 yeah in Japan I was able to run with the the former ambassador of Japan is Excellency Sadio Kada I was able also to run with our vice president abandoning guy that was by anyone he was the first vice president yes and the thing was so super so I might to be number one in the race category for the BIP and I think this time round I should go for 18 kilometers so that at least I should be number one against in that race category so tell me how do sports promote peace and unity in this case the schools and community thank you so much I rent of course now knowing very well that we don't have tribes or South Sudan we belong to one common identity they were not 64 tribe and of course now when those learners come together they will not look at themselves as tribe they're not coming as tribe in fact they will be representing their schools and representing say for example let me give you an example if you're from darling wisdom then that's mean that those the team darling with them will come team elite will come team a job proper will come of course they will come based on those perspective of their communities of course the communities are the schools where they are in and therefore now when they come together they will have a sense of your belonging together you know participating on one thing because you know these learners they need one another in one way or another yes and that is it so therefore now with that power of this they support that unite them together you know they will come together to embrace themselves and you know they look for the common identity and which means that the development of the nation so therefore now we're not looking at it they will not be looking at themselves but the tribe they'll be looking at themselves as learners and the pivot citizens of the Republic of South Sudan right so do you already have the 30 schools that will be participating or they're still applying of course currently as I speak now I involve myself and this is one key thing with me you know I am a seven leader you know and I don't mix myself to be of a high you know saying that you know because I'm the founder and the president of mission empowering I think I don't need to involve myself so obviously but it started now in some schools you know there are some schools that were not having the athletic clubs in the schools then I told them that this is the time for us to have those clubs in the schools so so far now we have about 17 schools that have confirmed their full participation and we still echo and call on other schools you know to come on board so that at least they can't be partially part of this noble initiative that you know it's going to be for the first kind in the in the life of the schools we had never had the entire school's athletic championship okay so this is going to be the first and I of course the mob I mean going to be so massive and I am quite sure that in the in the second editions which is going to be probably because this is going to be an old program by the way this is what I just wanted to put across and therefore now you know I also want to echo to other sponsors because simply what we normally do is that we are the organizers but we are not the one taking care of each and every everything in the in the event of course like we are going to be having sponsors that will come on board to support materially like if ready Mariah for example say okay if you're looking for for the for the for the media house that will be broadcasting you know that it banned life because this is what we used to do is those already Mariah used to have a mobile steer outside then that thing can figure out and therefore now that will be literally the support or the contribution by by ready from ready Mariah and in the fact that's what we are trying to do so I wanted to call the other sponsors and they say yes leave your doors or widely open we are coming to knock at your door so that at least we able to to make these programs to be so beneficial to the young people of the nation right and this is really a very good initiative I commend you for that thank you so much so do you plan to have it always in the run up to the independence will it be happening annually in the month of July yes exactly I learned because you know we are having so many platform outside there and you know everything a good thing is hard must have a very good time to and good organizations so we are trying to to make sure that at least together with the schools as we sit together because they are part of this program we will really wrap this program done every second time of of the year and probably we are going to mark it as on the everything other fifths of over of the month of July we are going to be having it and you know of course the other thing that looking at it because you know this weekend the other weekend is going to be on the fifth and the sixth but we don't know but probably it's always going to be every Friday to the Saturday so that at least it doesn't interfere with that with other other other activities of the school on of course other programs like the debate and other programs we shall see how best we can put them into the program right and Philip thank you so much for making our time to speak to us today what is your last remark first and foremost I really want to say thank you so much to Radio Mario and every listener that tuned to Radio Mario this is a very good ready stations my message to the young people of the nation they say yes you are the city of the nations and being the city of the nation please be a good seat to the nation South Sudan will not be built by people from outside we must be the one to take the lead and therefore I challenge young people of the nation right please South Sudan is ours and we must make sure that we do what is necessary required out of us to make this country great that's right Philip thank you so much for your