Harnessing the true value of sport
Sport is undoubtedly one of the most powerful catalysts for empowering women and transforming societal perceptions about them. However, to fully leverage the potential of sport as a catalyst for women’s empowerment, it should also ensure their physical and mental wellbeing.
In India, women from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly susceptible to a range of health issues, including hormonal imbalance, heart problems , obesity and depression. These problems arise from women’s sedentary lifestyle, which can be owed to their restricted mobility and the societal stigmatization of their participation in sports and physical activity.
The debilitating number of women and girls who are affected by these grave lifestyle diseases can be saved from a lot of trouble if they are provided with the opportunity to exercise and play the sport of their choice. This is where Pro Sport Development (PSD) – an organization that strives to give girls from marginalized sections avenues to participate in sports and as a consequence, take the right step forward towards becoming more confident and healthier, comes in.
Keeping fit via knowledge and awareness
Throughout the programs, workshops and tournaments led by PSD, several girls have testified to the fact that their participation in sports has helped them feel far more energetic, confident and happy:
“Before PSD came to our school, we all used to play a few boring games . But now we are playing new games, we feel very active and energetic, which helps us focus on our studies too. “
– a class 8 female participant from the Community Sport Program
In addition to enhancing girls’ physical fitness, participation in sport-based activities led by PSD has resulted in increased awareness about bodily changes among female participants. Their engagement in sport-based activities has helped them open-up and feel comfortable discussing issues related to menstruation, further creating safe space to challenge regressive attitudes and superstitions. A female participant from the Community Table Tennis program shares how her participation in the program changed her ideas about menstruation:
“After attending PSD’s program sessions, we learnt a lot of things about teenage. We got to know that these physical changes are part of our bodies. The information I was receiving from home or outside, was not entirely true – some of them were facts while some were myths. We were told what we can or cannot do during periods. But now I am aware of the difference between facts and myths.”
Mental health gains
Sport is inherently connected to both our physical and mental wellbeing, making it a powerful tool for addressing issues related to our mental and physical health. Through participation in PSD-led sport-based activities, girls have gained the mental strength to overcome societal obstacles, and have come to believe in their own abilities to excel not only in sports but also in other professions.
Given the general perception of mental health in India, it is even more challenging for girls, especially from marginalized sections, to have a conversation around the subject. PSD recognizes this issue and takes active steps to transform their spaces into safe havens for dialogue and expression through its wide-ranging work.
This women’s day we must acknowledge that the impediments created by physical and mental health negligence can render every other cerebral and physical opportunity redundant and as a consequence, the entire movement for equality.