Girls & Football SA founder Jos Dirkx met Minister Ploumen, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in Stellenbosch, South Africa today to celebrate a renewed dedication to women in sport. Present were Mr. Andre Haspels, Ambassador of the Netherlands to South Africa, Ms Bonnie Horbach, Dutch Consul General to South Africa, and Mr. Johan van Geijn of the KNVB.
“Football plays an integral role in building community relations, as well as empowering women and girls”, stated Minister Ploumen. “Football brings people together, as was shown when South Africa hosted the World Cup,” she said. She spoke with passion on how women’s rights are one of the key priorities for the minister and the Dutch government’s foreign and domestic policy.
Jos Dirkx stated, “Given the high level of gender-based violence in the country, it is of absolute national importance to support the healthy development of South African girls and young women through enablement and through creating a safe space.”
“When a girl plays sports, her confidence grows, she is more likely to perform better in school and she is less likely to get into an abusive relationship,” she said. World Coaches has agreed to help in the training of coaches for Girls and Football SA.
Minister Ploumen was in Cape Town this week for an economic trade mission that coincided with her opening the Department of Design, the Dutch contribution to World Design Capital 2014. A three-week long event, it supports sustainability and collaboration through workshops, key-note speakers and events held in a redesigned space at Provenance Auction House.
