Jigeen Foot
Context
Senegal is committed to promoting gender equality in all sectors, including sport. The results of efforts to include women in sport were visible at international competitions, where the Senegalese delegation was composed of 63% women compared with 37% men (PwC, 2021).
Despite the progress made, women’s access to sport is hampered by certain prejudices about women’s physical abilities and social role. Women are most often represented in disciplines such as basketball and handball, as opposed to sports such as football, rugby and boxing, which are perceived as “manly” (PwC, 2021).
With a view to combating these stereotypes and achieving equality between girls and boys, the Jigeen Foot project includes girls in sporting activities traditionally reserved for boys.
Goals
- Develop girls’ leadership skills and teach them their rights
- Raise parents’ awareness of the benefits of sport for girls
- Promote the creation of women’s teams within local sports structures
- Contribute to gender equality in the practice of soccer
Activities
- Organization of awareness-raising sessions
- Training for coaches
- Organization of a soccer festival
- Organization of advocacy sessions for local structures and communities
Targeted Impacts / Results
- 300 young girls will know their rights and be better able to assert themselves in society
- Creation of a women’s soccer team
- Other members of the community will take a fresh look at women’s soccer