On Friday 6th September, we held our annual Dubai 7s Long Lunch as part of our Dubai 7s for Good programme. We are thrilled to have raised our highest ever total of AED 580K, which will go towards building community infrastructure at North Road Primary School, Uganda, where we have been working to improve the facilities for the last 3 years, using sport and rugby as a vehicle for change.
We were joined on Friday by ex-rugby players Australia's Matt Giteau, and England's Will Greenwood, who conducted a Q&A on stage about their longstanding careers in international rugby, and mingled with the guests.
Funds raised from this year’s Long Lunch will address immediate community development needs, such as building a retaining wall to protect the rugby pitch from erosion and constructing a security fence to ensure the safety of children when playing sports on school grounds. Refurbishments to the on-site living quarters will improve accommodations for boarding students, while new changing rooms will support the growing sports programmes at the school. Additionally, a netball court will be built, as the sport is particularly popular among the girls at North Road Primary. Check out the video below which shows what the team got up to in July 2024.
A huge thank you to everyone who attended the Long Lunch and helped us to achieve this target - we will see you all next year!
Photos from the event can be found at our Facebook page.