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Gender parity in sport enables the representation of female voices beyond sport.
We believe that by resolving gender inequality, communities can forge more sustainable systems. This is because unresolved [these] societal norms, impede the sustainability of human capital in the functioning of a balanced society that benefits every minority group. Therefore, where we are able to foster equality, we can achieve long-term sustainable outcomes economically, as well as socially. This is what we refer to as our 'soft power approach', where small interventions at the local level can be powerful.
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Nutrition
Girls can't participate in sport or learn, without a meal. Our activities always wrap up with daily meals of rice, vegetables and protein such as nuts, fish or chicken, followed by fresh fruit. Water is always provided.
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Disaster Risk Reduction
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By preparing our beneficiaries with life skills through sport, self-defence and safeguarding, we are nurturing leadership and resilience. Not only do our beneficiaries gain from reduced vulnerability - education in gender outcomes, sport and creativity, we are also serving the wider community by closing the cross-generational risks that our communities have often faced as a result of the destabilising impacts of armed conflict and poverty.
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We run a complementary programme that allows for provision for literacy support within the community for our beneficiaries. Staff are supported every week with fully structured lessons and activities that engage and support children to thrive at school. Thanks to our supporters, we are also able to elevate creative subjects that open the gateway to drama, art and music for our beneficiaries which we believe are essential to confidence and enrichment.
We recognise that older learners who were disenfranchised from education can also be left behind. Therefore we provide a separate programme to improve literacy for adults that enables pathways to more sustainable livelihoods - thus breaking the cross-generational impact of poor literacy.
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Local employment: - Each programme provides secure work for up to 7 local people which helps to support their families and dependents. A testimony to supported livelihoods beyond immediate programmes staff can be explored in some of our case studies:
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Case studies
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The construction of Makeni Sports Hall employed 8 local people over the course of 12 months during the COVID-19 lockdown period while we were unable to offer our sports activities due to lockdown measures on sports clubs.
As well as serving as a community learning hub and safe-spaces centre for girls at risk, the hall continues to provide income through public hire to local community groups, clubs and for events.
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Our Cook, Isha Sesay
Isha has been providing meals for the programme's many beneficiaries 4 days a week since we started our Makeni and Mabap pilots in Sierra Leone's Northern Province. The employment provides secure and regular income for her family, enabling all of her grandchildren to continue to secondary education and/or fund skills training initiatives. Isha's daughter Zainab was able to complete her social sciences degree, and her son Rashid was able to train to become a qualified electrician.
Isha also attends our Adult literacy programme at weekends.
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Security Personnel
As part of our safe-spaces and safeguarding frameworks, our programme has employed 5 part-time day and night-guards since 2019.
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At Girls in Sport, we aim to provide our beneficiaries with knowledge and skills so that they can make a difference to their communities. We recognise that by providing girls with a platform to challenge themselves within the same milieu as boys. This will enable more robust learning outcomes that further the chances of leading fulfulling lives allowing them to continue education and attain higher level qualifications they need. By providing children with quality education, through our 'Sponsor a Champion initiative, gender equality is promoted and scenarios such as early marriage and teenage pregnancy is reduced significantly.
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Our trained staff and volunteers strive to support our beneficiaries through structured lessons and engaging activities. The aim is that by providing extra support with academic studies, we are enabling children to acquire the skills and knowledge they need to continue their education after secondary school, so that they can later move into the world of work fully equipped and ready to make a difference. By providing an equal, good start in life, children can learn to achieve anything they wish.
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IMPACT
LEADING TO SUSTAINABLE AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
FROM THE BOTTOM UP