As many as 15 teams took part in a women’s volleyball tournament last Friday in Abu Dhabi to commemorate International Women’s Day and raise awareness about the activities of Ewa’a Shelters, a charity that supports the victims of human trafficking in the UAE.

Being held for the fifth year, the Enthusiastic Volley Ball Championship saw players from countries such as Italy, Angola, Mauritius, Philippines, India and France battling it out on the courts of Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi on Reem Island. The tournament is an initiative of Isabelle Le Bon-Poonoosamy, a recipient of the 2010 Abu Dhabi Awards. In 2011, she founded a group of volleyball players and volunteers called Enthusiastic which has since been organising sporting events to raise funds for Ewa’a Shelters for women and children.

This year’s tournament saw the participation of many volunteers who signed up for the day to help with the score lines, refereeing, manning the photo booth etc.

Winners

Indian Ladies Association’s team, Volley Wood, were declared winners in the ‘beginners’ category while the Al Ain-based Piwva won the first place in the ‘intermediate category’. In the ‘Advanced’ category, the top spot went to Chevrolet Ace Spikers. Their captain Wendy Galela said the victims of human trafficking and Ewa’a needed all the help they can get. “It’s an honour to use our love for volleyball to help such a cause,” she said.

Yusraa, coordinator at Ewa’a Shelters who was present at the tournament, said: “We are so lucky to have Isabelle and her wonderful Enthusiastic team organise such a great event in support of Ewa’a.”

This year saw the participation of a school team for the first time. The Gems American Academy’s Wild Cats were the youngest players ever to compete in the tournament and bagged the bronze in the ‘beginners’ category. “When schools get involved in such events, it demonstrates their commitment to engaging their students in community driven activities outside the school,” says Isabelle. “It is a good way for our youth to learn to give back and build team spirit

source : gulfnews