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THE
WINDHOEK CALL FOR ACTION Progress and Lessons Learned
Though there are few examples in this section, the value of sport as part of a comprehensive development program is clearly illustrated through the excellent examples below from the Commonwealth Sport Development Program. Progress
Made / Success Stories Commonwealth Sport Development
Program (CSDP) The success of the CSDP is due largely to the variety and commitment of its partners, including those that provide financial or in-kind support, and those that share in the development, implementation or sustainability of CSDP projects. CSDP partners include: Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Sport Canada, Commonwealth Games Association of Canada (CGAC), UK Sport, Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC), UNICEF, Barbados Olympic Committee (BOC), Australian Sports Commission, Sport and Recreation Commission of Zimbabwe, Barbados Ministry of Sport, United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP), and Organisation of Caribbean Administrators of Sport and Physical Education (OCASPE). As a result of these partnerships, many well-known, highly successful CSDP programs have been developed worldwide, and have become well rooted in international sport systems. All of the programs described below included or targeted women and girls in all program objectives, and were undertaken with many different partner organisations. Aerobics for Pregnant Women The Aerobics for Pregnant Women program in Zimbabwe enables pre and post-natal women to participate in a bi-weekly aerobics program, led by trained community health professionals. Attracting more than 2000 women each week, the aerobics program also involves educational components such as women's rights, health, family planning, HIV/AIDS awareness and gender issues in sport and physical activity. The initiative began as a program for pregnant women, but interest quickly spread and the program is now open to all women, mainly from rural areas. Promoted through local media and the Internet, partners in the program include the CSDP, community health clinics and Sport and Recreation Commission. Supported by community health and medical practitioners, the program has attracted interest among women in all provinces of Zimbabwe, and professional evaluations have confirmed the health benefits to women such as increased level of energy, development of positive attitudes, reduced labour times and healthier mothers and babies. The Aerobics for Women initiative is also part of a broader initiative in Zimbabwe called Women in Sport (WiS) that has been expanded to include a capacity building component. A network of women interested in sport throughout Zimbabwe has evolved with the support of the CSDP, Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC), and workshops in capacity building - including strategic planning at the provincial and district level - have been organised. A significant component of the Women in Sport initiative is the creation of a nationwide research study focusing on the barriers to participation of Zimbabwean women in sport and physical activity. Over 3000 questionnaires have been collected and are ready for analysis. This information will help to develop better resources and programs to meet the needs of Zimbabwean women, and the resulting database will further enhance CSDP's ability to reach into the women's community on health and physical activity issues. "Since it started in 1994, the Aerobics for Pregnant Mothers program has been very important to us. The mothers tell us about a lot of the benefits of aerobics such as reducing substantially their time of labour. All of our mothers at our clinics are now taking up aerobics because it's easy and fun; it's just music and dance. It's good for the women to get together-they make friends, they share experiences." (Joan Marunda, a community nurse spearheading the Aerobics for Pregnant Women program)
This grassroots project takes place in Kenya, in one of Africa's most sprawling slums. Girls and boys are provided opportunities to play a sport (football) in exchange for community health and education services, such as cleaning up the environment or educating their peers about the dangers of AIDS. Run completely by youth, the program builds self-esteem, creates a sense of personal and social responsibility and volunteerism, and develops valuable leadership skills in some of the most underprivileged children of the world. It links sport and the environment by having teams earn points in the league standings for each completed environmental cleanup project. The program also attempts to help the masses of jailed street kids by working with local authorities in providing cooked lunches, securing funds to renovate the cells, building new toilets as well as contacting their parents to help secure their release. MYSA is organised and run primarily by youth under 16 years. With over 15,000 members, it is now the biggest youth sport and community service organisation in Africa. As a testament to their principle of "for youth - by youth," the current President of the program is a 16-year-old girl. "Giving youth a sporting chance" is the motto of the program. MYSA has effectively promoted the program internationally through various media vehicles such as TV, radio talk shows and at international conferences. Your Life, Your Health - Make
it Right! Specific goals of the program are:
Youth Education Through Sport
(YES)
The partner organisations involved in the project are CSDP, Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) of Zimbabwe, UK Sport, Ande Cole Foundation, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture (Zimbabwe). To ensure sustainability, the Sport and Recreation Commission of Zimbabwe also involved many different stakeholder groups such as the Ministry of Education Sport and Culture, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, National AIDS Coordination Program (NACP), the Scripture Union, National Association of Primary and Secondary Head teachers (NAPH and NASH), the Zimbabwe Football Association, Zimbabwe Junior Soccer Association, Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association, Zimbabwe Women's Football League, Girl Child Network, Women and Sport Foundation, medical directors and local authorities. Once the pilot project was completed, the program began to focus on three core components: education, community projects and a football league. The volunteer-run national program is now operating in all provinces, and over 1,000 youth leaders have been trained to lead discussion groups. In addition, 375 teams (211 boys teams and 164 girls teams) have registered to participate in the league, including 29 belonging to a special category drawn from street kids, probation centres and squatter camps. The SRC has established regional managers throughout the country to help promote the YES program through their region, primarily through word of mouth. The pilot phase project was evaluated internally, and findings showed that all three components (education, community and the football leagues) were a success. As such, the program was rolled out nationally with more than 6,000 female and male youths (from the initial 1000) joining the football teams and league activity. Australia Through its International Section, the ASC has conducted sports development programs in more than 30 countries, and has always adopted an inclusive policy in relation to the participation of women and girls in these programs. Some programs have also specifically targeted this population group. For example, the ASC assisted South Africa in developing its women and sport plan and implementing women and sport strategies; it assisted New Zealand in developing its own anti-harassment strategy; it has provided resources, advice and conducted coaching and administration courses for women Netballers in Pakistan and the Caribbean; it has supported women's sports events in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam; and it recently organised a visiting program in Australia for the Sultana Ferdous Ara Khanam Dolly (from Bangladesh) to gain knowledge and information on programs and policies for women and girls. Lessons Learned It is important not to impose your own values when working with other cultures. France Solidarité Afghanistan:
The Minister of Youth and Sport was behind the call for an Afghan
delegation made up of women and men to take part in the Athens
Olympic Games. This initiative, which has received wide support
in France, has also gained the support of our Greek partners,
who will host the Olympic Games in 2004.
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