A group of athletes in Winnipeg is hoping to keep their friend’s dream alive by raising enough money for their refugee-filled team to compete in Manitoba’s top soccer league.
Members of the Wasps FC came from four different continents to seek a better life in Canada, and they’ve found camaraderie in their new home though the universal language of sport.
Hubert Akilimali, 34, was born in Congo but was forced to flee due to conflict. He arrived in Canada nine years ago, and says the Wasps have become “like a family.”
Akilimali says the team was put together last year in honour of his friend Jean-Baptiste “J.B.” Ajua, a Rwandan refugee who was trying to organize a team full of refugees to compete in the Manitoba Major Soccer League.
Ajua, who was a rising star on the University of Manitoba track and field team, drowned in the summer of 2016 at Birds Hill Provincial Park at the age of 22.
The Wasps are hoping to make Ajua’s dream a reality. While they came second place in Manitoba’s second-highest competitive soccer league, they say they’re struggling to come up with the funds to compete in the MMSL.
It costs about $4,500 to enter the league, and that’s on top of rental fees and uniforms.
“We’ve got guys who are doing two or three jobs,” said Wasps player Patrick Nahayo, who is originally from Rwanda. “It’s a big challenge.”
The Wasps are seeking sponsors to cover some costs, and have launched an online fundraiser seeking $5,000. As of Sunday, the team had raised about $3,000.
Player Mario Pereira, who is originally from Portugal, said that “even though (Ajua) has passed away, he’s living with us every time we step onto that field.”
“This is for J.B.,” he said.
With a report by CTV’s Jill Macyshon and CTV Winnipeg’s Beth Macdonnell
