Success Stories
Sports for Life Give New Hope to Angola's Amputees
Earning his place on the team
Photo: J. Neves
Benadito Cacoma Boeis, now 21, was twelve years old when he was walking down to the river to wash his shorts and go for a swim. It was a sunny day and his friends were already in the water, calling to him to jump in. Just at the water's edge, he stepped on a landmine that instantly destroyed both of his legs. Frightened, his friends ran off, but later returned with help.
The wounds required high, above-knee amputations, which left him with particularly short stumps. When Benadito arrived at the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) center in Luena, a center sponsored by the U.S. government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), it was decided that he was not a good candidate for prostheses and was instead given a wheelchair, which he has been using for the last 3 years. He is one of the few people you will see pushing himself around in his wheelchair in Luena and is exceptionally strong from the effort.
His strength made him a particularly good prospect for wheelchair basketball. But his attitude didn't. Frequently drunk, Benadito used to come to practice angry and ready to pick fights with his teammates. Sports for Life's no alcohol policy kept him on the side-lines during several training sessions often grumbling and cursing. After finally coming to practice sober, he was asked to lead the stretching exercises and warm-up activity. He was also put in charge of one of the team's water bottles.
The responsibility seemed to frighten him at first and he went from being loud and boisterous to being very quiet. But then something happened. His teammates listened and respected him when he was leading exercises. He began spending time with them outside of practice and attending able-bodied basketball games at the gym. He is now usually capable of controlling his temper, even when he is fouled while driving for a shot.
Beni, as his fellow teammates have begun calling him, is a strong wheelchair basketball player. He learned to dribble and collect his ball from the floor before all the others. His strength makes him fast and difficult to catch on the court. He knows he is good, he likes that he is good and this gives him reason not to drink. He also knows that he has certain responsibilities and that his team will look to him if those responsibilities have not been addressed.
With his hard work and change in attitude, Beni has earned himself a place on the team that will represent Luena in November's national competition. It will be the first time he leaves Luena since his accident nine years ago. He was at the market yesterday looking to buy a ball, so he can get some extra practice. He was telling everyone that he is going to compete in this big game and one of the young boys asked him if he was going to win. For the first time ever, I saw Beni smile and he said, "Yes."
