{"id":121946,"date":"2026-04-13T15:16:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T15:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu"},"modified":"2026-04-13T15:28:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T15:28:19","slug":"football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu","title":{"rendered":"Football Healed My Wounds Says Coach Nyinawumuntu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Former Rwanda women\u2019s national team head coach, Grace Nyinawumuntu, says football played a vital role in helping her heal after losing her father during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n

Nyinawumuntu was among those affected by the Genocide during which more than a million people were killed.<\/p>\n

After the tragic loss of her father, she found solace and purpose in football\u2014a journey that would later define her life and career.<\/p>\n

Today, the 43-year-old is widely regarded as one of Rwanda\u2019s most accomplished female coaches. She currently serves as head coach of the Ottawa Gloucester Hornets, a youth team in Canada.<\/p>\n

Nyinawumuntu previously enjoyed a successful coaching career in Rwanda, where she guided AS Kigali Women to multiple national league titles. She also coached the Rwanda women\u2019s national team as well as the PSG Academy before relocating to Canada for further coaching commitments.<\/p>\n

Born in 1983, Nyinawumuntu faced hardship early in life. She lost her mother at the age of four and was raised by her grandmother alongside her two younger brothers.<\/p>\n

Her childhood was further shattered by the genocide, which began while she was staying with her grandmother in Kibungo.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were hidden by a neighbor who later advised us to flee because Interahamwe militia would eventually come looking for us,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor several weeks,\u201d she said, \u201cwe moved from place to place, trying not to be seen. At one point, we nearly gave up due to exhaustion after days without food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relief finally came when they encountered soldiers from the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were among the first people to be taken to Kabarondo, the first refugee camp in Rwanda,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Despite the trauma she endured at just 11 years old, Nyinawumuntu developed a remarkably resilient outlook on life.<\/p>\n

Her journey in football began in 2001 when women\u2019s football was officially introduced by the local football governing body (Ferwafa). She was among the pioneer players and featured for her high school team, College Urumuri.<\/p>\n

Nyinawumuntu said football has helped her heal her wounds caused by the genocide and eventually carved a niche in the sport as one of very few professional female coaches the country has produced in the past three decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cFootball and sports in general help people overcome difficult experiences, especially after the genocide,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is a universal language that transcends tribe and race.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that football promotes unity, hope, love, and peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can bring together even those who were once enemies. It has been a tool for reconciliation in Rwanda and other societies recovering from conflict. If people embraced the spirit of fair play, as we say in football, the genocide might not have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2003, Nyinawumuntu played for AS Kigali, but her playing career was cut short by a recurring knee injury.<\/p>\n

Determined to remain in the sport, she pursued studies in the Faculty of Sports at the former Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), where she became the first female graduate in 2007.<\/p>\n

She soon transitioned into coaching, attending a clinic led by a German expert before traveling to Germany for a six-month training course\u2014an experience that significantly shaped her career.<\/p>\n

Nyinawumuntu attributes much of her success to discipline and teamwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my coaching career, discipline comes first. I don\u2019t care how talented a player is\u2014without discipline, they cannot play. It\u2019s as simple as that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Over the years, she has won multiple Rwanda Women\u2019s Premier League titles with AS Kigali and secured three trophies at the PSG Academies World Cup. She also previously served as Technical Director of the Paris Saint-Germain Youth Academy in Huye.<\/p>\n

Through it all, Nyinawumuntu\u2019s story remains one of resilience, healing, and purpose\u2014demonstrating how sport can help rebuild lives even after the deepest tragedy.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Former Rwanda women\u2019s national team head coach, Grace Nyinawumuntu, says football played a vital role in helping her heal after losing her father during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Nyinawumuntu was among those affected by the Genocide during which more than a million people were killed. After the tragic loss of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":121945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,18],"tags":[758],"class_list":["post-121946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nFootball Healed My Wounds Says Coach Nyinawumuntu - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former Rwanda women\u2019s national team head coach, Grace Nyinawumuntu, says football played a vital role in helping her hea ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Football Healed My Wounds Says Coach Nyinawumuntu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former Rwanda women\u2019s national team head coach, Grace Nyinawumuntu, says football played a vital role in helping her hea ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T15:16:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T15:28:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/04\/sm_1776081476.433494.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"638\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Football Healed My Wounds Says Coach Nyinawumuntu\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T15:16:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T15:28:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu\"},\"wordCount\":648,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/04\/sm_1776081476.433494.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/football-healed-my-wounds-says-coach-nyinawumuntu\",\"name\":\"Football Healed My Wounds Says Coach Nyinawumuntu - 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