Sports can be a powerful mode of inculcating positive values in young girls – whether it be instilling confidence and self-esteem, the ability to make independent decisions, or fostering a sense of teamwork and critical-thinking. C3 has always believed in harnessing the power of sport in engaging, educating and empowering young people towards a gender-equal world, and hence to carry forward this spirit, we organized two football tournaments for adolescent girls in Jharkhand – ‘Kishori Shakti’.
On the 7th of March, a tournament was conducted in Lohardangga, in collaboration with the Health Ministry, and saw widespread participation from villages across the district – Kundgari, Kalhepat, Doka, Parhi, Chaukni, Ichri, and so on – and saw multiple all-girls football teams fight it out for the trophy. After a tense final match between ‘Rainbow Club Toofan Team’ and ‘IFC Ichri’, the girls from Ichri ultimately emerged victorious.
On 14 March, another football tournament was then held in Palkot block, Gumla district, which saw participation from 48 all-girls teams. 42 matches were held in total, and over 500 adolescent girls took part in them. It also saw widespread attendance from over 200 adolescents, as well as teachers and community members.
In the wake of the isolation and absence of peer interaction that the COVID-19 pandemic had brought on all throughout last year, this was a much-needed bonding and learning exercise for the adolescent girls, not only encouraging a spirit of teamwork and healthy competition, but motivating them to keep prioritizing education and working hard even in the midst of these uncertain times. It was also an essential step towards encouraging physical fitness and wellbeing among adolescents.