In order to appreciate and acknowledge the importance of women’s participation in Sindh Basic Education Program (SBEP)’s communities and to mark International Women’s Day, Sindh Community Mobilization Program (CMP) organized a Girls Sports Gala in CMP targeted districts.
The goal was to encourage girls’ participation in extracurricular activities, and the event was held in collaboration with the School Education Department (SED) Government of Sindh, district administration and School Management Committees (SMCs).
The main purpose of organizing the event was to offer sports activities to girls, which not only promote physical and cognitive development but also foster the retention of girl students. The Girls Sports Gala was initiated in February 2017 and will be held in all CMP focused districts in different phases through March 2017. The sports activities included cricket, badminton, tug of war, musical chairs and jumping rope. These competitions drew the attention of people from all walks of life and offered entertainment to students, community members, teachers, district administration and the media.
The children’s excitement had no limits whenever they won the matches against their peers. At the prize distribution ceremony held at Qamber Shahdadkot, the Deputy Commissioner expressed appreciation for this step toward engaging girls in co-curricular activities. He also gave PKR 44,000 as a prize to all players who qualified for the final match.
A cricket player at Government Girls High School Shahdadkot said, “This is the first time we had the opportunity to participate in any sport activity, otherwise being girls we are expected to help mother and take care of domestic chaos. I feel happy and empowered that society has started acknowledging our importance.”
A short video recalling highlights of the event:
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