This case study documents the process of integrating girls into a community-based youth sports programme. The Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) began in 1987 as a self-help club for boys that linked sports and environmental improvement, and has evolved into a programme that provides new opportunities for boys and girls alike in the poorest neighborhoods of Nairobi.
This document tells the story about the power that is unleashed when girls are given the opportunity to play. It is important reading for those developing programmes for young people - particularly young women.
MYSA has learned firsthand how sports can be a vehicle for social development and for the transformation of gender norms. MYSA has demonstrated that sports can help boys and girls develop new skills, consolidate friendships, and break down social and gender barriers to personal achievement.
[Abstract adapted from the author]
Activity