"The sky will not be my limit" CameroonFDP girls shape their own futures
Education has been called a social vaccination against HIV: when girls stay in school, they are much less likely to become infected. This is one of the goals of CameroonFDP. We aim to keep more girls in school with our innovative approach to sports for development.
Last month, 21 young girls participated in one of our trainings that took place at the Saint Teresa Primary School field in Kumba, Cameroon. Unfortunately, the weather was bad but the girls were still filled with enthusiasm. They are dedicated to proving their worth in football.
One of our organisation’s objectives is based on gender equality. Training these female players in Kumba to participate in a tournament is one step in promoting our objectives. We want to help the girls avoid risky behaviours such as dropping out of school, violence, teen pregnancy, and being unemployed.
Thanks to the tournament, our players will instead be focusing on competing in the tournament while also learning the values we promote during training. These include to be prepared, be a team player, educate yourself, show respect for all, elevate your community, play fair, and become a role model. With these values, the girls are less likely to engage in those risk behaviours.
The local management team also motivate the girls; because of them, the girls are willing to share their achievements and challenges both at home and at school.
Senge Rudy, one of the players, shared her experiences with CameroonFDP: “I play football to be strong and healthy and I’m determined to become a professional footballer. Outside of playing football, I will follow my career path as an agriculturalist. I have benefited so much from this organisation and the sky will not be my limit. I am a role model in my community because I am disciplined and punctual both in and out of the field, and keep away from social distractions like alcohol and smoking. I expect CameroonFDP to equip me with more skills, organise training sessions and more tournaments, and teach me the rules and regulations of the game. My family also encourages my participation in this training because the change is visible.”
Players like Rudy are the reason why CameroonFDP is so successful.
[This article has been edited by the Operating Team]
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- Related article: Sport for development research in Cameroon with Jo Clarke
- Related article: Community championship in Cameroon
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