Women's Day 2011

[Lauren Bader]

On August 9^th 2011, AMANDLA EduFootball hosted a very successful and well attended event at the Chris Campbell Memorial Field in celebration of Women’s Day.  The event aimed to celebrate and empower local girls and women by allowing them to develop both football and life skills.  By using football as a catalyst, the event drew in nearly 200 participants.  Not only was the event attended by girls who regularly participate in the Girls League, it also included other local women who participated in workshops and sports activities catered to them. 

In the morning, girls alternated between workshops and life skills sessions on the field.  The workshops for the girls, provided by the Medical Knowledge Institute and Samila Projects, focused on hygiene and gender violence while the life skills sessions covered various topics including stereotyping, relationships, and female role models.  The women in attendance participated in a workshop of their own, courtesy of Mamelani, focused on nutrition and safe food preparation and then joined in field activities with a game of netball.

In the afternoon, football was the focus for everyone during an all-female five-a-side knockout tournament.  By the end of the day, TTG had taken first place over Covenant after a heated match.  All participants went home with a certificate of successful participation and the top three teams were awarded additional prizes including football jerseys and beach football shoes. 

Overall, the Women’s Day event was a huge success and it’s safe to say that fun was had by all.