Scoring life goals

Moving the Goalposts Kilifi project has injected hope and life into the lives of 3,000 girls through football, NJOKI CHEGE writes

“Nataka kufundishwa, niweze kutia fora
Sitaki kubakwa, sitaki kutumiwa Na haki kudhulumiwa, siachi kujitetea”  (I want to go to school and learn, I don’t want injustice in my life).

Margaret Belewa, the Moving the Goalposts programme manager.

This is an excerpt from a poem recited by girls from Mnarani Primary School in Kilifi County.

These girls are among the 3,000 pupils who are beneficiaries of Moving The Goalposts, a programme that aims to transform the lives of young girls through football in Kilifi.

The message relayed by these young girls, most of whom are below the age of ten, is not only deep, but touching as well.

Girls in Kilifi County face numerous challenges, namely early marriages, unwanted pregnancies, child prostitution and vulnerability to HIV and Aids.
But why football?

They barely have access to information, health and other social amenities, a challenge that causes them to lag behind their peers. But not anymore. These girls have now been offered a level playing field, through football.

In this village, football is not a reserve for the boys, but a much-loved sport among girls.

Margaret Belewa, the programmes manager of Moving The Goalposts Kilifi, says football is an excellent empowerment project for girls between the ages of nine and 25.

“Football is a means through which we mobilise the local community, particularly the young girls,” she notes.

Margaret says the girls have come to love the game and are perfecting their art.

The project not only equips the girls with football skills but also knowledge on reproductive health, human rights and economic empowerment.

Recommended Videos

Boxing bouts fade in coast

The importance of public speaking

Prisoner of my skin

Kiambu burial dilemma