TEAM LIBERIA FOR WOMEN
Posted by Liberia - 29/05/2009
Dehkontee J. Sayon, was the best female player at the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup. She recently reported back about football and development in her nation. This is what she shared:
Football to Develop Destitute (FODEDE), the organisation responsible for Team Liberia at the Homeless World Cup in collaboration with a local football organization Skill for Change, held a football tournament to raise awareness of their work on women’s empowerment and leadership.
Several prominent individuals from government, civil society and UN agency attended including; Mr. Cherno Bah, UNFPA (United Nations Populations Fund) Youth policy advisor, and Ms. Euphemia Swen of Liberia National Student Union (LINSU) plus elderly from the community as key note speakers.
Dehkontee was involved in the organisation and is keen to let the rest of the world know how powerful sport can be. She met other women from the region, where they dicussed rights, development, and sport. Forty youth delegates, six groups, held discussions focused on how women now move into decision making positions and the obstacles they currently need to negotiate. Dehkontee told everyone about her experience at the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup 2008; an example of the power of sport for women. These speeches were carried in both print and electronics media for two days, and broadcasted on radio talk shows.
And the trophy was won by? None other than the Liberian Team, which was presented by Information Minister Hon. Bropleh.
