Empowering Women through Sports for Development

Nelson Mandela once said “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.” 

The Lioness Arise livelihoods project thanks to the generous corporate partnership worth Kes. 5M between Isuzu East Africa and Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) is supporting the Kenya Women’s National Rugby Team with life skills, business and entrepreneurship skills training with the objective of ensuring this national team not only thrives in the sports itself, but also to bring to action the realization of the importance of promoting gender empowerment and sustainable livelihoods through sports. This program is teaching these targeted 29 young women in the team the value of teamwork, self-reliance and resilience, especially in these unprecedented times. 

“It is gratifying to note that 29 rugby players have consistently participated in this program and have successfully graduated. As we know youthful fitness and agility does not last forever so we must have ways of earning a livelihood beyond the sports arena,” Isuzu MD, Rita Kavashe.

"The profoundness of this program is that it lies in addressing life after rugby. There are so many life skills you gain just by being in a team sport but you also have skills you learn by being in a program such as this; issues on personal branding, communication, self awareness. All ensure that one is not just good at rugby only. Thank you Isuzu and KCDF for this noble initiative,” Kenya Rugby Union Chairman, Oduor Gangla

Often, sports for women remains plagued by many of the same gender inequalities that we see more broadly; issues such as unequal pay, gender-based violence, a lack of targeted investment and negative stereotypes and social norms. Stereotypes and a lack of representation remain some of the barriers to substantive change in developing the sporting world. There is need for concerted effort to build and support the women’s rugby league in Kenya. We need to continuously support the current team to be visible role models of women athletes excelling in the pitch, propelling them to the Olympic podium, as well as thriving off the pitch so that other girls can see and believe in their capabilities. 

These are girls like Agatha Jamari, who plays for both the 7s and 15s national rugby teams. Agatha is a video producer who began playing rugby in 2012. Agatha went through the first phase of the training touching on self-awareness and soft skills necessary in identifying her strengths and positive attributes that would help her navigate through her day-to-day challenges. “Participating in phase one of the training gave me a platform to identify some of the fears that have been holding me down and which hindered my performance in the field. After opening up, after talking and the counsel received, things started to take a turn. I now believe in myself, that I am good enough.” She shares. “This programme has helped me face my problems and see that I do not need to seek validation, and I should have the courage to fight for my passion in rugby. It is one of the things that has helped me appreciate that.” 

In May 2021, through the continued partnership between KCDF and Isuzu East Africa, the second phase of the program will be launched and will focus on building a sustainable way for the young ladies to earn a livelihood through business entrepreneurship, mentorship and training. The objective of the second phase will be to equip these ladies with practical business tools and knowledge for them to depend on as they either set-up or build their commercial business ventures for sustained livelihoods. The target participants are ladies residing in the urban informal settlements who aside from playing for the national rugby team, are either unemployed or run small businesses, paying special attention on the unique challenges experienced by young female business owners, including limited access to funding, support network, unsupportive social norms and fear of business failure. 

As KCDF, we urge more corporates to support similar initiatives and we aim to continue expanding our corporate partnerships in addressing some of the wider social issues that continue to plague our communities, rather than those that narrow to impact just the profit margins. We applaud the support from key stakeholders; Kenya Rugby Union and Rugby Afrique Women’s Rugby who continue to ensure these young ladies are not denied their rights and blocked from achieving their full potential.

To learn more about KCDF and the work we do with various communities and partners, visit www.kcdf.or.ke.