Uganda Since 2006, Girls Kick It has used football to tackle inequality between young women and men, and enable young girls and women to become empowered in their lives and in their community.
Organisation- Girls Kick It
Girls Kick It's philosophy is that sport can be a vehicle to build confidence, community and improve overall health for girls and women living in northern Uganda. The region experienced gruesome atrocities in the hands of the Lords Resistance Army for more than twenty-five years. These atrocities included abduction and forceful conscription, looting, ambushes, mass killings and maiming. Young girls and women were extremely vulnerable to rape and sexual violence.
GKI’s three-pronged approach creates a sustainable and meaningful impact on the lives of the young women in our program. The chain of action begins with soccer (the convening attraction), develops through coach education and lifeskills training and results in the ability to engage in locally determined social enterprise activities. GKI’s goal is to help support and identify a generation of empowered girls to rebuild their community and nation after over 2 decades of civil war.
Their work combines conflict resolution skills building with income-generating projects to connect social and recreational activities with personal development and business skills. GKI offers a place where girls have an active voice and role in decision-making and development. They have learned from our work, and it is our continued hope that that the girls and women who participate in this program take a long-term leadership role in their community and become advocates for changing the development paradigm in northern Uganda.
