SENEGAL-EDUCATION-GENRE / Thiès: launch of the second phase of a project promoting soccer in schools

The second phase of a project to promote women's soccer in schools, called "Kick-off for girls' leadership", was launched on Monday in Thiès (west).

The project will involve four hundred teenagers, including 300 girls and 100 boys from 20 schools in Plan International's target communities of Notto, Tassette, Ngoundiane and Ndiéyène Sirakh.

"Coup d'envoi pour le leadership des filles" will be run by Plan International, in partnership with the Thiès education inspectorate, the NGO Ladies' Turn and the departmental sports service.

According to Bineta Sow Diop, General Secretary of the Thiès Education Inspectorate, the second phase, launched on Monday for a ten-month period, has already got off to a flying start. has already got underway, with exchange, integration and feedback meetings to try and improve the momentum already gained.

"We are in the process of consolidating the achievements of phase number one and the extension phase," said Ms Diop, speaking at the launch ceremony at the Thiès schools medical inspectorate.

"We're going to mobilize more stakeholders to give a blow to the gender clichés and stereotypes that have finished affecting soccer to boys," she said.

The pilot phase of this project was "a success", according to the general secretary of the Thiès IA.

The results obtained encouraged the funding of a second phase, which coincides with the launch of this initiative in Kaolack, she said.

After a test phase, the project has been extended to 20 schools in the Thiès department, and is about to be duplicated in the Kaolack region.

It has a budget of 59 million FCFA for implementation in the two regions of Thiès and Kaolack combined.

According to Ms. Diop, "Coup d'envoi pour le leadership des filles" has helped hatch new talents. One of the project's beneficiaries has been co-opted onto the national women's soccer team, she points out.

The General Secretary of the Thiès Education Inspectorate called on local authorities to put theirThe Secretary General of the Thiès Education Inspectorate called on local authorities to get involved, in collaboration with the Education Inspectorate, in order to make the project sustainable.

As well as promoting women's soccer, the aim is to help build the capacities of young girls in a number of areas, according to Awa Diouf, Plan International's program implementation manager and project coordinator.

In this way, "Kick-off for Girls' Leadership" seeks to make its targets "influential leaders within their respective communities", she added.

Girls' soccer teams will be formed in the targeted schools, with the selected girls receiving soccer equipment, she explained.

After a first phase launched in late 2018 for 20 months, the project has been extended to a larger number of schools in the Thiès department.

Source: aps.sn/