Girls First Fund, MEMPROW and Alur Kingdom brought together girls’ football and netball teams in Nebbi to promote girls’ rights, challenge harmful practices and encourage communities to tackle child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
Alur Kingdom has partnered with Girls First Fund and the Mentoring and Empowerment Programme for Young Women (MEMPROW) to use sports and cultural leadership to mobilise communities against child marriage, teenage pregnancy and gender inequality.
The partnership brought together girls’ football and netball teams from Padyere, Jonam and Okoro counties for a one-day gala at Nyaravur Primary School on Saturday, October 17.
The event featured the Kopu P’min Ubimu, or Queen Mother’s Cup, for girls’ football, and the Kopu Pa Nyamin Ubimu, or Princess Cup, for girls’ netball. It was held under the theme “Kicking Barriers: Girls Football for Leadership, Health and Rights”.
Organisers said the tournament was intended to give girls a platform to showcase their abilities while encouraging communities to protect their rights, keep them in school and challenge practices that expose them to early marriage and motherhood.
Padyere won the Princess Cup netball competition after beating Jonam 36-9 and Okoro 29-14.
In football, Jonam claimed the Queen Mother’s Cup with a 1-0 victory over defending champions Okoro in the final.
However, organisers said the significance of the tournament extended beyond the sporting results, with the participating teams using the occasion to advocate for girls’ education, leadership and protection from violence.
Florence Ayo, representing Girls First Fund, said developing girls’ talents could open opportunities for leadership, economic independence and participation in decision-making.
“For us as Girls First Fund, we believe your talent can open doors for you. Your talent will make you sit with the queens and kings of the land,” Ayo said.
She welcomed the involvement of cultural leaders, saying their influence could help shift community attitudes and encourage action against child marriage.
“We are excited seeing the cultural leaders on board because they carry a lot of weight. People believe them and they bring transformation,” she added.
Ayo urged the girls to use their voices and abilities to challenge child marriage and encourage their peers to pursue their ambitions.
Stella Oyungrwoth, MEMPROW’s programme officer in Nebbi, said working with Alur Kingdom enabled the organisation to deliver messages on girls’ rights through cultural institutions that communities trust.
“Partnering with Alur Kingdom helps us reach communities with messages that are culturally relevant and more likely to influence attitudes and behaviours,” Oyungrwoth said.
She said the partnership was also intended to promote positive cultural practices and create safer environments for women and girls.
“Through this partnership, we are able to create a space where women and girls are protected, respected and supported to achieve their full potential,” she said.
Vincent Ocaya Orach, Deputy Prime Minister and Executive Director of Alur Kingdom, welcomed the collaboration, calling on parents, community leaders and other stakeholders to work together to address challenges affecting girls and women.
“By partnering with us in the fight to kick barriers through ball games, you have strengthened us in the fight against the challenges girls and women face,” Orach said.
Beyond the football pitch
MEMPROW has worked in Nebbi, Pakwach, Zombo and Arua districts over the past five years, engaging communities, school clubs and young mothers on issues including gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy, child marriage and barriers to girls’ education.
The organisation also uses community dialogues, barazas, radio discussions and school engagements to promote girls’ rights and encourage families to keep girls in school.
The annual celebrations marking the coronation anniversary of the Ubimu, the Alur king, have provided another platform for reaching communities with messages on the protection of women and girls.
Following the gala, MEMPROW plans to strengthen engagements with chiefs, Ker Alur elders and other cultural leaders to promote accountability for commitments to ending child marriage.
The organisation also intends to engage men and boys in promoting positive masculinity, protecting girls and supporting women’s leadership.
It will continue working with schools and parents to raise awareness about girls’ rights, sexual and reproductive health, and the importance of keeping girls in education.
“By building on the momentum created by the football gala, we want to ensure the messages shared go beyond awareness and lead to sustained community action that protects girls and expands their opportunities,” MEMPROW said in a statement.
Teenage pregnancy remains a concern
The campaign comes amid concerns about teenage pregnancy in the West Nile subregion, where poverty, school dropout and sexual violence have been identified as factors affecting girls’ welfare and educational opportunities.
Figures provided in the event information put teenage pregnancy prevalence in the wider West Nile region at 37%, compared with 22.1% in Nebbi District and a reported national average of 24%.
Local health officials cited in the information also estimate that defilement accounts for about 44% of teenage pregnancies in Nebbi.
The figures were not independently verified for this report.
Organisers say the partnership with Alur Kingdom is intended to turn awareness into sustained community action, with cultural leaders, parents, schools and young people encouraged to work together to prevent child marriage and ensure girls can learn, lead and live free from violence and discrimination.
