2024: An Olympic and festive year for the Serge Betsen Academy!

The Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) will celebrate its 20th anniversary in March 2024 and on this occasion we will be organising various events to celebrate our actions and to introduce our plans for the future. 20 years old is a golden age when one has lots of energy, and it’s perfect because we have many plans.

 

Over 20 years, the Serge Betsen Academy has supported more than 9,000 disadvantaged children both in Cameroon and Mali, using rugby as a vector of social integration. The mission of the association created by Serge Betsen, former international rugby player, is to give them access to after-school academic support sessions, medical care, meals and rugby training. It is thanks to the generosity of our partners and donors that the SBA has been able to create six centres over the last 20 years and that it has had such a positive impact on the lives of its young people through its various programs.

 

Serge Betsen and the entire association would like to invite you to discover our events (see below) and to contact us would you wish to participate in them and to turn these events into unforgettable moments, in support of our children!

 

Match Biarritz Olympique V Rouen Normandie Rugby

Date & Venue: Friday February 16, 7:30 p.m., Parc des Sports Aguilera, Biarritz

Match dedicated to the Serge Betsen Academy association

Kick-off by Serge Betsen

 

Dinner for the 20th anniversary of the Serge Betsen Academy in Lyon

Date & Venue: Friday March 15, 7 p.m., Grand Refectory of the Grand Hôtel Dieu in Lyon

A dinner with 200 guests among sports legends, in a beautiful venue, on the eve of the France-England game of the Six Nations. Cocktail, seated dinner, auctions and musical entertainment will be on the menu!

Details here.

 

 

Rugby & Art: evening of emotions near Lille

Date & Venue: Thursday March 21, 6 p.m. in Marcq-en-Barœul France (59)

An extraordinary evening organised by Thetechicy, combining artistic expression through contemporary art and the passion for rugby, with the Serge Betsen Academy. On this occasion an auction will be organised, selling 40 works of art. Part of the sales will be donated to the association. This event will be dedicated to art lovers, sports enthusiasts and charitable spirits!

Details here.

 

 

Gala match: Football – Variétés Club de France vs Serge Betsen’s team

Date & Venue: Saturday March 23, 2024, 2 p.m., Stade Nelson Paillou – 2 Rue Jean Walter, 92110 Clichy

Program: Football match between the Variétés Club de France and Serge Betsen’s team, made up of sports legends, physiotherapists and masseurs (OKM) and football players from the Clichy club (USAC). To be followed by a cocktail-party at 4 p.m.

For the benefit of the Serge Betsen Academy

 

Gourmet dinner in a secret place in London to support the Serge Betsen Academy and to celebrate Paris 2024

Date & Venue: Thursday March 28 at 6 p.m., London

This will be a spectacular evening, during which a sumptuous 3-course dinner will be served to you in a legendary building in London, where musical entertainment will enhance your evening, where special guests will make it unforgettable and where various fundraising activities will take place for the benefit of our association.

Please email mailys@sergebetsenacademy.org for further details

 

Women’s and men’s rugby and basketball tournament, Yaoundé & Douala, Cameroon

Date & Venue: 10-13 April (TBC), Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon

A tournament to enable young people to compete against each other while playing rugby. This event organised at the initiative of the French Embassy in Cameroon will bring together different charities, including the Serge Betsen Academy and will be an opportunity to talk about important themes related to sports, health and gender equality. There will also be an initiation to rugby and basketball.

 

Dinner to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SBA Cameroon, in Yaoundé

Date & Venue: Thursday May 30, 6 p.m., Boun’s Hotel, Yaoundé, Cameroon

We will gather with the SBA team members and our faithful partners to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the charity and raise funds for our future projects. A delicious buffet will be served and there will be various entertainments.

 

We look forward to welcoming you soon to celebrate our 20th anniversary! 

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

 

Cameroon: Feedback on the rugby introductory program in the schools in the Ndé region

Our rugby introductory program in the schools in the Ndé region has grown and we are ever so proud of this. We would like to thank Recycling Rugby, which has been supporting this program for the last year through its Foundation, thus allowing us to pay our coaches and buy rugby equipment.

The first rugby introductory sessions in the Ndé schools began in 2019 at the initiative of young rugby players from our Bangangté rugby team, known as the Nzuimanto Rugby Club. This Club is a group of young rugby players who have been trained by the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA). Upon completing their training, as they did not want to be split in order to integrate various clubs within the national territory, they resolved to set up a team to defend the colours of their own region, the Ndé, at the national level. In 2019, it was apparent that rugby was almost non-existent in the curriculum of the schools in the Ndé region. At the same time, introductory sessions were also conducted by Abaa, rugby manager of the Zoétélé centre in schools near his centre.

In Ndé, since September 2019, our young coaches, Idriss Ketcha, Jacques Toresse and Loïc Zeutsop have massively contributed to the popularisation of rugby in the schools. These actions happened once authorisation had been given by the Cameroonian Rugby Federation (Fecarugby) for the inclusion of rugby in schools. From 2019, Idriss, Jacques and Loïc gave theoretical presentations to make our sport known to school teams and students, handed out rugby balls, and carried out rugby training for young people from 2021. We would like to thank them for their dedication to the development of rugby in the country. It is a pleasure to collaborate with such passionate and diligent young people.

In 2021, 7 schools in the Ndé region benefited from SBA rugby introductory sessions, i.e. 745 children, plus the children from the Eau Claire centre in Bangangté and also those from the neighbourhood. In 2022, the young coaches of the Serge Betsen Academy carried on presenting rugby to the boards of schools in the region, and carried out rugby introductory sessions in 8 different schools and thus introduced rugby to 750 children. Rugby introductory sessions therefore took place in 2022 in the following schools: Nenta nursery school, Group 1 public school, Group 2 A and B public school, Fatgo’o public school, Saint Jean-Baptiste College, Babou Classic High School, Lycée Technique of Banékane and the Japanese Donation Public School, Group I A and B.

Here are some supporting photos:

 

Introductory session to school Group 2 A and B

Introduction to the Fatgo’o school

Introduction to the group 1 school of the Japanese Donation CM1B

Rugby introduction at the Bamena Technical High School

Rugby introduction at Saint Jean-Baptiste College

School introduction Group 2 A and B

At the Serge Betsen Academy, we work to develop rugby in the Ndé region but also in other regions where our centres are located. In the Zoétélé region, for example, rugby in schools dates back to 2011, the year in which it was set up by the Atoak Koumou association. When the SBA centre in Zoétélé was created in 2013 the SBA-Atoak Koumou partnership continued with these rugby introductions.

In Zoétélé there are 4 primary schools, namely the public school of Zoétélé Group 1 and Group 2, the Catholic school Sainte Marguerite and the bilingual school of Zoétélé which benefit from rugby initiations by the Serge Betsen Academy. In Nkoumadjap, there are 2 primary schools in which rugby initiations have been set up regularly: the public school of Nkoumadjap and the Catholic school of Nden, as well as 2 secondary schools: the Lycée of Nkoumadjap and the CETIC of Nden. Over the year 2021-2022, the Serge Betsen Academy recorded 1,518 children in Zoétélé and 726 children in Nkoumadjap who took part in the rugby initiation program.

In Yaoundé, Moise, coach of the Jardin Eden centre and of the youth team of the B Nkol Eton center (formerly Etoudi) will soon be in charge of developing the practice of rugby in schools in his sector in Yaoundé.

It is a real pleasure for the SBA to get young people to discover our sport and its values. Thanks again to Recycling Rugby for their support.

 

Translation : Katy Birge-Wilson

Event: Special World Cup Legends’ Dinner, September 11, 2023, Toulouse

The evening before the WRC France vs Namibia match, a Legends dinner was organised by Karim Ben Amar and the team of his Escale Borely at Sport Beach, Marseille. It was a fund raising initiative, as 100% of the profits from the evening were to be donated to the Serge Betsen Academy.We would like to thank all our guests who attended this dinner and also the rugby initiation led, during the afternoon, by Serge Betsen himself for the young people of the Stade Marseillais Université Club (SMUC). It was a pleasure to share this moment with the legends: Yann Delaigue, Marc Andreu, Sebastien Bruno, Bakary Meïté, John Tuilakepa and Virginie La Porta, as well as all those who were present for the Legends match the next day.

Thanks to Karim BEN AMAR and his Escale Borely team for the organisation as well as to Romain Canuti, at the Sport Beach restaurant and Alain Michaud Bonnet for their welcome, to Stéphane Tollet from the SMUC, to the Association of Traders of the Escale Borély, to Oxyne, Kaporal and Château d’Astros, Ovale Beach Rugby Five Marseille, as well as TotalEnergies for their support.

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Event: David Ellis Jubilee Match, French Legends vs XIII Mondial

David Ellis will be celebrating his jubilee, in a unique approach alternating the rules of XIII and XV, League and Union, in the shape of a Gala match between several generations of stars of the Oval ball.

Come along on October 12 at 5 p.m. in Prades (66) to attend this unique match between the French Legends and the XIII Mondial Rugby League Cares. The profits will be donated to two associations dear to the players’ hearts: the Serge Betsen Academy and Handi Move & Fun.

A big thank you to David Ellis, Ellis Rugby, JOP Conflent Canigou – Prades, Prades Town Hall, Rugby League Cares and French Legends for this collaboration.

Among the French Legends, you will be able to support: Julien Bonnaire, Jérémy Castex, Jean-Philippe Grandclaude, Guilhem Guirado and Thomas Lièvremont.

As for the XIII World team, to date, are already registered: Gareth Ellis, Adrian Morley, Lee Radford, Keith Senior and from Wales, Andy Bateman, Kevin Ellis and Clive Griffiths.

There will also be an auction where cult items from the world and history of Rugby will be sold and then a reception will close the party.

You can support the event by making a donation on this platform. You can get your tickets on location at the JOPCC, Jeunesse Olympique Pradéenne Conflent Canigou (price: €12, free for children under 12).

For more information on the event, please contact: Jean-Pierre Respaut JOPCC: jeanpierrerespaut@orange.fror mobile 00 33 7 85 27 65 82

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

 

Event: Rugby on the Roof at the Boun’s in Yaoundé for the opening match of the World Cup!

The Boun’s Hotel in Yaoundé invites you to come to its rooftop and watch France – New Zealand, the opening match of the World Cup.

An introduction-video to the match will be produced by Serge Betsen for the guests and projected on the big screen on the rooftop. So, even if at that precise time, Serge Betsen will be at the Stade de France cheering on “Les Bleus”, he will also, thanks to this video, be with all the guests in Yaoundé, sharing the moment.

H.E. Thierry Marchand, Ambassador of France to Cameroon, together with his team, will honour us with his presence. Representatives of the Serge Betsen Academy Cameroon will also be present on the rooftop introducing the association and hosting a raffle; the profits will be donated to the association. The Boun’s will also provide, at low prices for the guests, a barbecue and drinks.

So come along to the Boun’s, we’ll see you around 6 p.m. (Cameroon time) on the rooftop. We’ll enjoy the activities put on by the Hotel and our association, and of course we’ll support “Les Bleus” from 8 p.m.

Raffle tickets will be on sale from 6:30 p.m. at the entrance to the rooftop. See Douglas, coordinator of the Serge Betsen Academy to buy your tickets. The prize to be won: a Biarritz Olympique jersey signed by Serge Betsen himself!

We will draw the winner and hold the prize-giving ceremony at half-time. The signed shirt will be handed over by the Ambassador of France in Cameroon to the winner.

Here is the address of Boun’s Hotel: Downtown _Rue De Narvick- Carrefour S. H.O adjacent the Bricolux store, Yaoundé, Cameroon

A big thank you to Benjamin Pion and Betty from the Boun’s Hôtel in Yaoundé for their welcome, and also to the French Embassy in Cameroon, our wonderful representatives, Philippe Poulleau and Philippe Huart, the UFE, Yaoundé Ovalie, PLAYCE Yaoundé and Beverages from Cameroon for their support.

During the evening, we will tell you more about the Corporate Rugby Tournament that we will organise in Yaoundé on Saturday 14 October, in the morning. You will have the opportunity to register in advance for this.

 

 

Translation by Katy Birge-Wilson.

SBA project: Creation of a poultry farm for the SBA COOP!

The Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) decided to create a poultry farm at the Eau Claire centre in Bangangté, in line with the SBA Coop, our agricultural cooperative of 20 mothers from the centre. This 195m2 farm (with 25m2 of storage) will accommodate around 2000 chickens.

By financing the creation of a henhouse on the land adjoining the Eau Claire centre in Bangangté, you will allow mothers from the centre to be trained in the raising of chickens and to work there. The chickens raised for their meat will be sold at low prices to the SBA for the meals of the children of the centre, or sold directly to the outside world by the mothers of the SBA Elevage cooperative. As for the droppings, they will be given to mothers of the SBA Coop to be used as fertilizer.

As a result, with the sale of these chickens, the mothers will earn an additional salary and will be able to access a certain financial autonomy. This will allow them to spend on any required necessities for the well-being of their children.

The mothers will be trained in chicken farming by the centre manager, Djibril Ngassam. This training and the operating costs will be covered by the French Development Agency (AFD) which supports our project as part of the Academies Program.

We are counting on your support to help the Bangangté centre mothers to gain autonomy.

 

Translation by Katy Birgé-Wilson

Event: Conference with Serge Betsen in La Baule, 11 October 2023.

You are kindly invited to attend a conference given by Serge Betsen on Wednesday 11 October in La Baule-Escoublac. This will be an opportunity for Serge Betsen to narrate his exceptional journey from his birth in Kumba in Cameroon until this Rugby World Cup in 2023. Here is the practical information: Conference by Serge Betsen on the theme “From Cameroon to the Rugby World Cup”.

 

🗓 Wednesday, 11 October 2023, from 6 p.m.

📍 Salle des Floralies, Avenue des Floralies, La Baule-Escoublac

❤ Free entry

 

This event is organized by the Rotary Pornichet Saint-Nazaire Atlantique with the support of the Rotary Club La Baule and the Town Hall of La Baule-Escoublac, to which we say a massive thank you. The profits will be entirely donated to the Serge Betsen Academy.

 

Program:

  • Introduction by Franck Louvrier, Mayor of La Baule and Christine Gourraud, President of the Rotary Pornichet Saint-Nazaire Atlantique
  • Thank you message to the sponsors by Vincent Belliard of the Rotary Pornichet Saint-Nazaire Atlantique
  • Conference by Serge Betsen, “From Cameroon to the Rugby World Cup”,
  • Q&A and tombola
  • Auction
  • Cocktail offered by Maison Loïc
  • Dinner at La Barbade with the Main Sponsor.

 

Come and celebrate the Rugby World Cup! Partnership opportunities are available. You can consult the partnership offers via this document (click here).

 

RSVP: rcpornichetstnazaireatlantique@gmail.com

Info: mailys@sergebetsenacademy.org

 

 

Translation by Katy Birgé-Wilson

Event: Legends’ Dinner, September 11, 2023, Toulouse

Serge Betsen and the entire team of the Serge Betsen Academy association are organising “a Legends Dinner” on Monday, 11 September 2023 from 7 p.m., at the Brennan’s Snug Bar in Seilh (31).

This event will be an opportunity to celebrate the values of rugby, the association’s 20th anniversary and to discuss the Rugby World Cup, with passion, with rugby legends.

Surprise guests from the world of rugby including Yannick Jauzion, Trevor Brennan, Patrick Tabacco and Omar Hasan will be joining Serge Betsen for this occasion,. We will have various speakers during the dinner and also a quiz, an introduction to our association, a Q&A and auctions.

The profits from the evening will be entirely donated to the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) association.

We look forward to spending this evening with Toulouse-based businesses and local rugby fans who support our mission and contribute to the well-being of the SBA children and families.

The contribution for this dinner is 120 Euros / person (i.e. 40.8 or 48 Euros after taxes). You can also sponsor the event as a company and benefit from invitations and various rewards. You will find all our partnership proposals on this document (click here).

The money collected during the evening shall be used to finance the studies of our SBA students, to purchase school supplies or for the creation of a poultry farm for our women of the SBA Coop, our cooperative.

 

To register for the event and buy your tickets, please send an email to sylvie@sergebetsenacademy.org or mailys@sergebetsenacademy.org.

 

Translation by Katy Birge-Wilson

 

SBA Project: Support the Big Brother & Sister Project to help our young people in their higher education

For the last 20 years, the Serge Betsen Academy has provided its children with academic support courses up to Baccalauréat level (equivalent UK A-levels) and also occasionally helps some of its higher-potential children to pursue their university/higher education.

The support of the French Development Agency (AFD), as part of the “Academies” Program, allows the SBA to strengthen its support in higher education, and with the backing of local businesses we will be able to strengthen our positive impact.

 

As part of our SBA Big Brother & Sister (B&S) Project, we are requesting that your business support our high-potential young people by:

– Offering qualifying internships to young people from the Serge Betsen Academy and monitoring them closely,

– Speaking in our centres to present the professions represented in your company and thus encouraging vocations,

– Showing our young people round your business facilities to introduce them to these professions,

– Making a financial donation to enable a student to pursue higher education.

 

This year, 5 SBA students (3 from the Bafia centre and 2 from the Zoétélé centre) passed the prestigious Ucac-Icam (Catholic University of Central Africa – Catholic Institute of Arts and Crafts) competitive entrance exam and without external funding from companies, they will not be able to carry out their engineering or advanced technicians studies on the campuses of Pointe-Noire in Congo or Douala in Cameroon, given the financial difficulties of their families.

By financing the studies of one of our young people over 3 years, you will allow this young person to study in a high-quality institute, to obtain a highly recognised license and to realise their professional dream! A donation of €16,669 (or FCA 10,918,000) allows a young person to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Douala. And for a degree in Pointe Noire, a donation of €18,915 (or FCFA 12,389,000) is necessary.

And of course, as soon as they leave university, with their diploma in hand, priority will be given to you for the hiring of this young person.

For more information, please contact our team: sylvie@sergebetsenacademy.org and mailys@sergebetsenacademy.org

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Event: Rugby 7s exhibition tournament on June 3 at the Bangangté municipal stadium

The Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) association is organising a 7-a-side rugby exhibition tournament on Saturday June 3 2023 in the morning, in Bangangté. On this occasion, we will exceptionally bring together our four adult rugby teams from Cameroon at the municipal stadium of Bangangté and a women’s match will close this morning of sport.

We will have the honour to welcome H.E. Mr. Thierry Marchand, Ambassador of France to Cameroon, Mr. Yann Lorvo, the Embassy’s Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Action and Director of the French Institute in Cameroon, Mrs. Virginie Dago, Director of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency) in Cameroon as well as two members of the AFD delegation, Mr Eric Niat, Mayor of Bangangté and Christiane Niat, Director of the Black Platinium Agency. Our President, Serge Betsen and Sylvie Ledard, our Project Manager will welcome their guests of honour and show them around our Eau Claire centre in Bangangté. At the end of this visit, the guests will attend the men’s rugby tournament and the women’s rugby match.

Thanks also to the Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency) for its support of the association as part of the “Academies” program in collaboration with PLAY International and the Diambars Institute.

We would like to thank our distinguished guests for coming to Bangangté in order to attend this exhibition tournament organised in their honour, as well as Boissons du Cameroun, which is sponsoring the drinks, and the Town Hall of Bangangté, which is supporting us. This tournament is also possible thanks to the Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency), which supports the SBA as part of the “Academies” program led by PLAY International and the Diambars Institute, and of which we are the lucky beneficiaries.

The objective of this morning is to give the SBA players the opportunity to meet on a rugby pitch and to develop their competitive spirit, to strengthen the players’ rugby spirit and the feeling of belonging to the same association and to assess the level of players from the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA).

Good tournament to all!

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson