About the project
I'm a SHERO, is a platform that advocates for better terms of engagement for girls / women in sports. The platform seeks to inspire young girls in sports starting with football which is one of the popular games played at the underserved grassroots communities.
We want restore the hope and dignity of girls / women playing football through training and mentorship. We hope our intervention will create a lasting ripple effect of self-awareness that would lead into more responsible lifestyle.
Esther
Mazira, Project Leader / Co-founder at Wilsen initiative (Wi) She Can (I'm a
SHERO).
Who is a sHERO?
In our own definition a sHERO is a woman of excellence who aspires to do more, be more and be different in creating their own meaning of success whilst helping others find meaningful pathways towards whatever they desire to become in future.
Her passion and dedication is to achieve more beyond self while also helping others women /girls in their transitions through sharing life experiences, skills and knowledge. The sHERO advocates for more and better engagement for the girl child without any biasness towards the opposite gender.
The Background
Kenyan football for many years has been faced with many challenges from alleged corruption, poor leadership, lack of enough support etc. In this bubble Women football has been one of the most affected making it difficult to convince the ladies that there’s a great future playing football especially after MYSA temporarily stopped participating in Norway cup like it used to be due many factors for example lack of funding and the arrival of Corona virus.
Young girls / women in Kenya playing sports go through a series of challenges from lack of mentors, lack of time, limited remunerations, lack of funding, lack of playing gears, early pregnancy, just to mention but a few. This situation can only change if we create targeted programs that would address both known and unknown obstacles that deprive the girls and women the opportunity to excel in their chosen sports.
On the flip side despite all hurdles, we can't totally write off what football (generally sports) can contribute towards achieving a holistic social well-being and development for the girls through training and mentorship.
Esther
Mazira, Project Leader / Co-founder at Wilsen initiative (Wi) She Can (I'm a
SHERO).
Our Brief Theory of Change
We want to address some of the issues affecting the girl child by creating a network of sHERO who will deliberately create different bridges that would help the girls living in the underserved communities.
Our main target is to work with organized women /girl groups between 12 - 35 years at the underserved communities for example football teams, chamas, in school etc.
Our Values;
- Meaningful engagement
- Self-awareness
- Informed choices
- Collaboration
Our Program
Our program is designed in such a way that all the sHEROs bring unique skills, knowledge, experience etc. that defines our activities. We have a framework which is based in the A.S.K models (Attitude, Skill and Knowledge) in all our delivery.
Our Main Activities.
- Skills and knowledge transfer.
- Mentorship & Training
- Mobilizing for resources for example sanitary towels, football shoes for the girls’ teams, uniforms etc.
- Organize women / girls competition and learning excursion visits.
Our Goal
Our main goal is organizing training sessions that would help the girls in their general well-being in terms of Sexual Reproductive Health and Right (SRHR), Life skills, leadership, Creative Entrepreneurship, financial literacy, career development, education just to mention but a few.
Secondly, we also aspire to create a network of women in sports as role models who have the time, passion, experience, qualifications and are committed to train and mentor the upcoming women in sports from underserved communities playing in different sports disciplines.
Call for Support
Currently we lack the adequate resource (funds, team, material etc.) to run the project as envisioned but we are determined to Do More with the little that we can access. Should you be in a position to offer different support get in touch with us. We also accept material support for example football shoes, uniforms balls etc. for the girls’ teams at the grassroots.
Currently we aren't able to operationalize all our activities due to lack resources. We call upon all well-wishers to come on board and help us rollout some of our activities in the community.
Related links
Inspired by Wilsen Initiative - Do More | Be More | Be Different.
