24 January is marked as National Girl Child Day every year in India to increase awareness about the inequalities girls face in all facets of society, from education, health, nutrition, and medical care to violence against girls, child marriage, and legal protection.
Sports is one of the areas where gender inequality is strongly evident, even in the 21st century. However, sport can also extend opportunities to promote equality for girls and build gender awareness in boys and girls.
Sports can promote gender equality by teaching women and girls teamwork, self-reliance, resilience, and confidence. Women in sport defy gender stereotypes and social norms, serve as inspiring role models and demonstrate equality between men and women.
Sports provides women and girls with an alternative approach for participation in the social and cultural life of their communities, promoting their enjoyment, recreation, and freedom of expression. Playing sports provides participants with opportunities to develop leadership skills along with the development in communication and team-building improves their overall emotional wellbeing. Sports can also enhance the mental, psychological and spiritual health of girls and young women.
Pro Sport Development (PSD) is an award-winning social enterprise that uses sports as a tool for the holistic development of children and youth, and gender equality is an integral part of our programming.
We believe that sport-based programs must follow a value-based approach. Through our programs, we impart important values amongst children and youth to ensure equal participation of girls and boys in sports and aid in the mental and physical health and wellbeing of youth.
Through our programs, we instil values of fair play and mutual respect for teammates and opponents of other genders, creating a positive learning environment where children from underprivileged and marginalized backgrounds become empowered, confident individuals who take on leadership within their communities.
PSD’s Community Sports Program (CSP) has been running since 2015 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The program follows a specially designed multi-sports curriculum where all sessions are mandatorily mixed-gender – when girls and boys play together, they become more comfortable with each other and can break down societally imposed gender barriers between them. Through our program, adolescent boys and girls are able to question gender norms and change their attitudes towards those from other genders.
In order to support girls’ continued participation in sport and the development of their leadership activities, PSD, in partnership with Kickoff Solutions, has instituted a scholarship for five selected young women who have shown leadership potential and interest in sports. The scholarship aims to encourage young female leaders to continue pursuing a sport, enable their dreams and aspirations, and inspire other girls from their communities.
Khadija is one of our peer leaders and scholarship recipients who has been part of PSD since 2017. By participating in PSD’s programs, including the CSP, she has explored her strengths and capabilities. “As a peer leader, I got an opportunity to conduct sports-based sessions with the participants to build their capacity, which has boosted my self-confidence.” Khadija is representing girls in sports and breaking gender barriers in her community. She wants to encourage more girls to participate in sports and transform their lives through sports.
Anandita is another peer leader and scholarship recipient whose participation in PSD’s programs has made her an independent young woman. “Self-awareness means awareness of yourself, and self-empowerment means not to depend on others. I do my work myself. I help my mother and father as well in their work. They, too, are proud of me. But even today, there are families that think that girls depend on everyone, which is not right.”
Through their participation in sports, Anandita and Khadija are representing girls in this field, breaking gender barriers in their communities, and encouraging more girls to participate in sport and transform their lives actively. This National Girl Child Day, we reiterate our commitment to building confident and competent young women through the medium of sport.