INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

Bhakiva: football to empower girls and women in India

by | Mar 8, 2022 | Gender equity, Peace education, Youth empowerment | 0 comments

Bhavika is 32 years old and she is a coach involved in the Peacemakers Project at Naandi Foundation. “When women and other girls see me play, they have so much respect and admiration in their eyes, and the fact that I inspire them in some way is what motivates me the most. I hadn’t played much sports before joining the programme. I played a little bit in school, but now I cannot imagine my life without sports. My favourite sport is badminton but I enjoy football greatly as well. I would like to learn more sports and become an excellent football coach. My dream is to teach as many girls as I can, to inspire as many women as I can so that a maximum women and girls can discover the joy of sports. In our social context, empowering girls through sports is very important because girls and women living in rural areas lack access to education and sport facilities.”

Communication and Press Manager at Peace and Sport, I have 5+ years of experience in political affairs, conflict prevention and resolution, and communication. A great part of my work has been conducted in the context of conflict and transition settings.