Press Release
‘Ensure Safe Participation of Girls in Sports’
ActionAid Bangladesh, Dhaka, 17 December 2021
To promote sports among young girls, ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) in partnership with Sports Bangla Foundation organized a friendly football match in a playground of Bashundhara Residential Area on 17 December 2021 (Friday).
The Happy Home girls of ActionAid Bangladesh and the Peace Home girls of LEEDO (Local Education and Economic Development Organization) who secured a spot to play at the Street Child World Cup Doha 2022 participated in this friendly match.
Ms. Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh kicked-off the football match at 10:30am. In this tense match, the Red team defeated the Green team by 4-3 in a tiebreaker. Abida put the Reds ahead with a stunning goal early in the second half. Four minutes later, the Green team equalized with a penalty kick by Nurun Nahar. Abida, Jasmin, Asha and Afrin scored for the Reds while Ripa, Hamida and Jannat scored for the Greens in the tiebreaker.
Ms. Farah Kabir congratulated both teams and said, “It is important for girls to participate in sports. We have taken this initiative to increase public awareness of the importance of physical activity and breaking gender norms that limits the opportunity of young girls to be active in sports. Everyone has a role to ensure their safety, especially underprivileged youth who do not have access to facilities.”
She also urged to ensure safe participation of girls in sports. ActionAid Bangladesh strives to empower women and girls and advocates for a holistic approach to developing future women leaders considering their mental and physical wellbeing, she added.
Rayan Sharif, Secretary General, Sports Bangla Foundation said, “We are driven by our mission to support young people with athletic talent to achieve their full sporting potential and bridge the gap in sports inequalities.’’
LEEDO has taken the initiative in educating girls as a social responsibility and in establishing their social status through extra-curricular and recreational activities, said Forhad Hossain, founder and executive director of the organisation.
The ceremony ended with the awarding of medals, recognition of the affiliated organizations, and group photo sessions.
It is to be mentioned that, since 2006, ActionAid Bangladesh has supported 17,489 girls through Happy Home. Currently, there are 86 girls residing in Happy Home.
