African Impact Girl Empowerment in Moshi volunteer, Alison Vorsatz, has been working on their Childrens Rural Outreach Program (CROP) with nursery children aged 2-6 years. Alison has summed up perfectly how nursery school is the first step to equality between girls and boys.
“Today in CROP we introduced exercise and sports into the nursery school classroom and the kids loved it, especially the girls! We taught them each how to kick a soccer ball, and during the challenge they were holding hands, this was to encourage teamwork and equality while playing. This is the first step of bringing sports to girls that may not otherwise have the chance to play, and an opportunity for girls and boys to be seen as equals in the game and the classroom.
As a female athlete who has competed at state, national and international levels in sports, I know how powerfully sports can change a girls life. Sports taught me to be a leader and develop decision making skills, to challenge myself to always be better, to learn discipline and teamwork, to be healthy, and to respect and work together with girls of different backgrounds, both on and off the field or court.
Most importantly, it taught me to be confident in who I am, and how to set goals and achieve them – not just in the game, but in life.
Around the world, sports are a vehicle to improve the status, liberty, and well-being of women, girls, and marginalized people. The United Nations’ report say women and girls’ participation in sports is an important social and economic empowerment tool that will positively affect them for the rest of their lives.
Today in our Girl Impact program, in a rural nursery school in Tanzania, we opened the door to change. And our girls kicked a soccer ball right through it…”