Educate & Give voice to HODI Girls in North Kenya

"I was so shy at first," she says, "but after some time football changed me. For several years parents did not support girls playing football but in the future, when I'm a mother, I want to support girls playing football."

Ms. Gufu, 14, is the deputy president at her school. She's been brought up by a single mother in a poor family where she is the only girl. She says that "football has changed her life." While Hodi's numbers are impressive, it's seeing our work at play in the lives of individual girls that really illustrates how innovative HODIs approach is transforming lives. The local approach is paying off this included the traditional elders and local imams. After consulting imams on how we could design a football strip modest enough for many of the Muslim girls who want to play, HODI now runs a girl's team in a madrassa, an Islamic school.

It is hard so we still don't believe that we are alive to see that happen. While both FGM and child marriages are illegal in Kenya, local cultures are strong and traditions persist. Our organisation HODI has had to work hard both to argue against these cultures and to work with them. Without all your support it would not have been possible. It would have just remained as a pipe dream. Her approach, called Breaking the Silence, has led to 1,645 girls from 152 villages in the Marsabit region of Kenya playing football over the last 10 years.

Empowering the children to stand up for themselves, by making them more confident and capable on the football pitch, has been a big part of our mission, especially in an area where traditional family and tribal structures mean that children and women often don't have a voice. But despite the challenges Ms Gufu and many more girls like her are making it to the play ground making the numbers to rise from initial 12 to 1,645 girls. We shall be giving un update of the young girl as she rises to be a star in future.

Links:

• The HODI Website
• The HODI Website

The project Educate and Give a Voice to HODI Girls in Northern Kenya started in a small way by taking one girl for the one  academic year in high school. The initial thinking was to ensure the girls dont drop out and be part of the startcis instead they are able to transition and be part of changing the narrative of the region in the north of Kenya. But the 1st years were tough as we had not raised enough resources to cover the entire cost of tuition but each month we received a new donation and we kept the hope alive. Giving up was no option and some days even the HODI staff chipped in with the little resources they had to ensure the few girls were supporting did not drop out of school. 

Our young leader, Kabale was an amazing football player who never had a chance to play football and when at 12 years she joined HODI in 2012 there was no stopping for her. She is one of the girls we supported with the donations received. Today she has completed 4 years of high school and is giving back to the community by training other girls in football and ensuring the girls stay in school just like her. Football is giving them a chance to break the silence on issues that affect them as girls and creating a safe space for them to share personal stories and give solutions as peers. Just kicking the ball itself has helped them overcome many barriers and taboos that was placed in their way by culture and tradtions. To conform with religious conditions HODI included hijab on the head, stocking to ensure their legs are not exposed and it was possible to take over the community space which was in teh past restricted only for boys use.

Today I am sharing the story of a HODI Champion. So take a moment to journey with the young leader. Imagine giving the young leader a chance to evaluate the project and give feedback to HODI, this is a special gift for she knows what is important and the missing link for us to improve on as an organisation. Getting feedback from the girls and the community is a great way to improve our effeciency and effectiveness. As a result we have now extended the support for the girls in our education programmes from one year to 4 years to allow them complete their high school education. Upon completing high school some of the young leaders return as volunteer coaches and earn a little stipede. This is then saved to allow tem to pursue higher education. The support Kabale received has helped her rise out of poverty and now she is able to take care of her basic needs and with a strong dream to partner with us to contribute towards a future where girls have a choice and a voice. 

In her own words.....

'I will ensure no girl is left out of school and the only way we can achieve this dream is by investing in girls education, THANK YOU for investing in my education"

This is a story of change agent who has taken the mantle in changing her community and one home at a time and from one school to the next she is currently doing the evaluation of the girls program to see how best to improve. This is the best role for having been a beneficiary herself. It will also ensure that her family will have increased capacity with the little stipede and reduced vulnerability while together we build resilient communities. 

We have been selected as one of the organisations to take part in this years GlobalGiving Girl Fund Campaign. This is a great opportunity for HODI to secure a chance to win one of six year-long slots in the GlobalGiving Girl Fund, compete for matching funds on International Women’s Day, and re-energize our power base! The 2019 Girl Fund Campaign will run for two weeks, from Feb. 28 to March 14 2019, and celebrate International Women’s Day with matching funds and bonus prizes on Friday, March 8.

With your support its possible to create a world where every girl has the chance to create a future of her choice like Kabale! Even against all odds she managed to make through the toughest moments in her life at the verge of child marriage and facing the risky cut - FGM. But she did not give up on her dreams of getting an education and playing football. Take a moment to share our project with your family and friends and together we can provide quality education, legal protection and access to coaching skills and life skills that they can use to access the job markets in future. The investment in one girl will make a difference not just in her life but the lives of her immediate family and their communities. 

Links:

• The HODI Website