Gender Equality Jordan Project #45393

Build Community through Sport for Girls in Jordan

by Reclaim Childhood, Inc.

Project Report | Oct 30, 2020
RC's Return to the Field

By Melissa Garand | Intern

Friends of Reclaim Childhood,

Since our last check-in, RC’s participants and coaches have successfully returned to the sports field following the gradual easing of government lockdowns in Jordan. This summer, we adapted our standard summer program to focus on physically distanced soccer drills and new safety procedures, which included sanitizing equipment, extra buses to allow for distancing, and switching out scrimmages for non-contact activities. Since the beginning of the fall soccer season, these same procedures have been in use to ensure we can continue to offer girls a break from isolated environments, and get them onto the field with their RC community.

While we are thrilled to have girls back in person for modified versions of both the summer and fall sports seasons, the situation - and our response - continues to evolve. With Jordanian schools opening briefly before returning to online learning and rolling lockdowns, we are constantly adapting programming. Despite this constantly evolving schedule, RC and its coaches have been able to remain a consistent presence in girls' lives with the support of donors like you.

The ability to provide safe spaces for girls to play and connect has become only more urgent throughout the COVID19 pandemic, as women and girls are disproportionately affected by its negative impacts. As the pandemic continues to compound the inequalities already so present in girls' lives, RC finds itself in a unique position to combat social isolation and act as a place of healing, and of fun. We thank you for supporting RC’s work in providing these safe and inclusive spaces for hundreds of girls in Jordan!

Stay well,

The RC Team

Permalink

Jul 8, 2020
Fighting Social Isolation During COVID19

By Anna Barrett | Executive Director

Friends of Reclaim Childhood,

As I write RC’s first project update, I am reminded that on the same day in March that we suspended all in-person RC programming, we also decided to continue our participation in the GlobalGiving Accelerator Challenge. While they offered all organizations the chance to defer due to the spread of COVID19, we hoped and believed that even amidst increased uncertainty, our community would show up to invest in the future of RC’s programs. We were right. Thank you to each of you who donated in the midst of your own personal upheaval and for your ongoing support of Reclaim Childhood. We are truly grateful.

For years, we have been combatting social isolation by getting girls out of the house and onto the field. Now we were faced with increased isolation and girls prevented from leaving their houses, not by societal norms, but by strict government regulations and a deadly pandemic.

The key to the Reclaim Childhood program is the relationships that coaches build with participants and their families. Usually, these relationships are forged through bus rides to practice, rowdy soccer games, quiet individual conversations on the sidelines, and home visits. Over the last four months, these points of contact transitioned online, with coaches working to stay in touch with every single one of the girls enrolled in our programming. With limited digital tools available, they relied heavily on WhatsApp groups to share workout videos, wellness activities, and connections to external resources and to each other. In turn, participants responded with their own workout ideas, texts from moms checking in, and a valuable reminder that in a pinch, stuffed animals can be used as cones for agility drills.

This time away from the field has only increased the need for safe and inclusive spaces for girls. Thank you for joining us as we continue our work to provide those for the Reclaim Childhood community!

Stay well,

The RC Team

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.