The award winning Girls & Football SA focuses on the development of girls and women through sport, media and education.
In this video, the role of football in creating a safe space for girls and women in South Africa is explored, with a specific focus on the prevalence of corrective rape in the country.
Grace, poise and elegance are just some of the qualities all of the female role models we look up to possess and using passion and influence for the advancement of women is something we aspire to achieve. Mrs. Obama not only embodies these amazing role model qualities but also uses her influential position in The White House to help women around the world. This past June she toured South Africa with her two daughters and her mother, speaking to young women about the role they play in leadership on the African continent.
With a packed schedule we were not able to meet her but her inspiring words gave our girls the idea to present her with a gift, they wrote letters and read messages of appreciation to the first family. We posted these messages on our Youtube channel (check out our videos!) and brought the package of letters and DVD to Mrs. Obama’s team. We were happy to see our girls reach out to a role model they admired for her substance and inspiring attitude.
As a thank you, Michelle Obama wrote us back, sharing with us how grateful she is for the hard work done by youth for development in South Africa. Imagine our surprise to receive a hand delivered letter from the White House!
Founder Jos Dirkx and co-founder Sonia Bianchi are currently on a Girls & Football SA trip speaking with groups across the East Coast of the US. During their stop in Washington DC they took a minute to drop by and see the White House and pose for a picture with the organizations new prized possession!
In response to the letter, it’s a pleasure, Mrs. Obama, and we’re honored to have been in touch!
What a week! The 52 hours of traveling up from South Africa to get to Colombia were well worth the wonderful feedback Girls & Football SA received after presenting to the delegates at the 2nd World Summit for Youth Volunteering, hosted by Partners of the Americas, IAVE, and UN Volunteers. The Girls & Football SA presentation focused on Sport for Development and Youth Volunteering. Particularly, challenges faced in working in a non-volunteering culture, in addition to tricks and tips to ensure volunteers feel rewarded were highlighted. Great questions were raised, surrounding topics such as how an organization can handle challenges faced in an environment where perceptions surrounding girls and sport are not necessarily positive. Another interesting discussion centered on the best ways to monitor the physical changes a girl’s body goes through when she participates in sport. As we continue our programming, our focus will remain on health education through sport and questions such as these are particularly inspiring. Thanks to all the great delegates during the break out panel and your insightful questions and comments!
Girls & Football SA is very grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such inspiring youth from all over the world. We
It’s that strange, giddy-with-anticipation, Christmas-come-early sensation. Here at G&FSA we love tournaments, and there is no bigger party in female football than the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The kick-off was this Sunday – a thrilling showdown between reigning champions Germany and dynamic up-and-comers Canada, in front of no less than 73,680 spectators at the beautiful Olympiastadium Berlin. If you want to check out the team listings, background information, match schedules and results, head over to the FIFA site. If you want to find out why you should care about women’s football, keep reading. Take our word for it, even if your team isn’t playing, the sixth ever FIFA Women’s World Cup is a cause for celebration, and if your team is – well, go get your kit and face paint out.
Large, international tournaments for women’s football are a fairly recent development. FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football) and UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) only started supporting the sport in the late 1980s, and even now, the dominant attitude with the top brass seems to be that female footballers should continue to play second fiddle to the men. So let’s clear up a few misconceptions. Yes, women’s football can at times maybe be a bit “slower” than the men’s game. The goalies are not as tall. It doesn’t generate a fraction of the same amount of money as the men’s tournaments do. Yet in Western Europe, as in certain Latin American and African countries, it is the fastest growing organised women’s sport. The German Football Association has over a million registered female players of all ages, and women’s football is actively supported and encouraged by the German government, both at federal and state level. No wonder they are one of the most-winning teams within the sport.
The players and supporters of women’s football have been fighting for a long time for recognition, which we believe that they so rightfully deserve. To this day there are obvious challenges, and having been present at the carnival that was the 2010 World Cup, the differences in media attention and public support between the two events is staggering. The perception of women footballers and the resources allocated to promoting this branch of the beautiful game is well worthy of thorough analysis. The ramifications of the 2011 World Cup for women’s football, particularly as seen from the angle of a grassroots initiative such as G&FSA, is interesting both on a theoretical level and in a more hands-on, practical way. Will it provide the break-through that girl centred grass roots initiatives so sorely need…? These questions and others will be addressed in the coming weeks, but for now, the focus is on the amazing athletes that have fought their way to Germany, with the sole purpose of representing their countries doing what they love, and what they do best. Here at G&FSA we are so stoked, so excited, so over-the-moon happy now the months of waiting finally is over, and high-end women’s football will be shown on national TV. You can even watch it at your local pub.
Although we’re not supposed to be partisan here, it’s probably no secret that a number of different nationalities are represented in the G&FSA team – several of these staffers have their teams competing in Germany. Especially for those in our support base who weren’t represented by their national squad at the 2010 Men’s World Cup – Canadians, Norwegians and Swedes, we’re talking about you! – it must feel so good to be able to follow a World Cup with a sense of national pride.
Having followed the qualifying rounds for this women’s world cup quite closely, particularly the 2010 African Women’s Championship which were hosted by South Africa, we also feel a strong connection to the African contenders. That qualifying tournament was characterised by sweat, tears and tonnes of effort and talent. In the end the two teams who shone brighter than the rest where the Nigerian Super Falcons and Word Cup débutantes Equatorial Guinea. The South African squad – the Banyana Banyana – secured a very close third, and even though it would have been beyond amazing to see them rock the pitch during the weeks to come, we hope that all of our African football fans will put their support behind the Nigerian and Equatoguinean ladies. The World Cup is about rooting for your team, but it’s also about celebrating the talented girls and women who worked hard and followed their dreams. It’s about these girls’ parents, teachers and coaches, encouraging and supporting them. In the same vein, it’s about all of us, showing that we believe that football has the capacity to enrich peoples lives regardless of gender.
No matter where you are from, show your colors these next weeks. Enjoy and partake in this great event, and help make it biggest international celebration of women’s football yet.
(And on a concluding note – because yours truly is neither an objective observer nor a proverbial monkey with a typewriter that we keep in a janitor’s closet over at G&FSA’s HQ – a special shout out to Nora Holstad (#2) and the rest of the Norwegian World Cup squad. Best of luck on Wednesday ladies, make us proud!)
Girls & Football SA extends a warm welcome to Mrs. Obama, her mother and her two daughters Sasha and Malia. Her focus on youth, leadership, health and education during the trip to South Africa speaks to our main mandate of empowering girls and women through sport. Visiting South Africa with this message is an incredible inspiration for the whole country, but especially for the girls and women inspired by her words and example.
Mrs. Obama is a terrific role model and our girls are honored to have written her letters!
To thank Mrs. Michelle Obama for coming to South Africa with her daughters Malia and Sasha and her mother, Marian Robinson, the football players at Girls & Football SA in South Africa’s township Kayamandi wrote ‘Thank You’ letters. Mrs. Obama will visit the campus of Cape Town University, Robben Island, and the Cape Town Soccer Stadium.
Thank you for sharing messages with South Africa’s youth on health, education and empowerment.
While the football workshops are being carried out in South Africa, the Girls & Football SA team has had a fabulous trip to North America to promote the documentary and to raise awareness on the state of women’s football in the country. Inspiring guests from the United Nations, She’s the First, Girls Who Rock!, Global Girl Media, and CBS news joined us for an engaging discussion and the launch of the new health text message campaign. The team of Girls & Football SA is excited about all the positive reactions and so grateful for all the support. A huge thank you and word of appreciation goes out to all the volunteers that made the evening a success and to Nations United, who have helped support and promote Girls & Football SA during this trip.
Please email info@girlsandfootball.org to learn about how you can help!
