Judo for girls in Zambia

Zambia Judo Association found that it is important to understand the specific barriers that displaced women and girls face and address them, in order to get them to participate in sport programmes.

A landlocked country in south-eastern Africa, Zambia is home to over a million refugees, a number that has more than doubled in the last five years. Most of the refugees come from the neighbouring countries of Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and other African countries, including Somalia, Burundi and Rwanda. 

Judo for Peace

With projects operating in two refugee camps in the country’s capital, Lusaka, the Zambia Judo Association (ZJA) are using Judo practice to bring peace and purpose to refugees in Meheba and Mayukwayukwa camps. Inspired by the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) Judo for Peaceprogramme, ZJA started their programmes by engaging IJF’s Judo for Peace director, Nicolas Messner, for guidance. He introduced ZJA to two refugees in Maheba – Faustine Nzosabar, a first dan black belt from Burundi, and Chiza Ngoyi, a brown belt from Congo. ZJA then contacted the two judokas to employ them as coaches for a potential Judo programme in Maheba. 

The programmes offered by the ZJA provide refugee children a recreational space where they can practice Judo and a chance for community members to capacitate themselves and improve their life skills.

The programme, which started in 2016, now supports over 300 refugees who regularly practice Judo in the camps. The programme not only provides regular Judo training to the participants – it also engages in life skills training and advocacy programmes. The advocacy programmes are centred around issues most pressing for the refugees, including HIV/AIDS, human rights, early/child marriages and early pregnancies. 

Programming for girls

The inclusive nature of the sport has meant that the programme has always been open to both girls and boys. However, as ZJA noted, it was difficult to get women and girls to participate, due to socio-cultural barriers. Thus, special provisions had to be made to accommodate the specific needs of refugee women and girls. 

When they first started their programme, ZJA only had three or four female participants, who were not actively encouraged by their families or society to participate. This is because the coach was male, and the community did not think it was appropriate for girls to be coached by a man, especially for a contact sport. 

ZJA then hired a full-time female coach in Maheba, which increased female participation by 35%. The girls could relate to the coach and felt more comfortable with her. Further, the coach could talk to parents to encourage them to send their daughters to participate, giving her own example of growth through Judo. 

The importance of inclusion

It was important for ZJA to work on increasing female participation in their programmes because the social issues that they were working on targeting through their Judo for Peace initiative were intrinsically linked to gender. When ZJA first started working in the refugee camps, they noted many girls in their early teens who were married and had children. They found that a lack of activities and social life in the refugee camps, along with limited educational opportunities, meant that many girls were getting married off young. Thus, in order to eradicate these issues, ZJA had to ensure they could work directly with girls. 

However, ZJA knows that in order to combat gender-based violence, men and boys need to be actively involved and taught of their responsibility towards ensuring women and girls are treated as equals and with respect. Hence, all programmes, including Judo and advocacy sessions, are carried out in mixed-gender groups, with boys and girls together, while still respecting cultural boundaries and beliefs. 

In their work with girls, ZJA ensures that they are able to stay in school and get an education, working with stakeholders like parents and the larger community to highlight the benefits of education. Further, ZJA has set up a Judo hall near the secondary school in camp and have talked to teachers and school administrators to encourage students, especially girls, to attend the Judo programme after school. By keeping them engaged in the Judo programme, children are less likely to occupy themselves with activities that can have negative repercussions. 

Finding a balance

ZJA also found that there were communal tensions between refugees from the different countries in the camps – if the coach belonged to one country, then they would successfully engage with and train only those who were also from their home country. To resolve this issue, ZJA hired a Zambian coach, who would not have any preferences or comforts with a specific community, allowing the building of social cohesion in the camps through Judo. 

The value of partnerships

Part of the success that ZJA has achieved through this programme with refugees is because of strong partnerships with different stakeholders. This includes the schools they work in conjunction with, as well as government bodies such as the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, who have been generous in supporting the programme and providing land to build their Judo hall on. 

The programme has also been supported by donors, especially the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, whose support has allowed ZJA to build a state of the art Judo hall, which can accommodate up to 100 children, giving them a permanent and safe space to continue their practice. 

“Judo is a sport whose philosophy goes beyond the practice of physical activity. It is more than a sport – it is based on a moral code of courage, respect, modesty, friendship, honour , self-control and courtesy” – Carol Chipupu, Administrative and Communications Officer, Zambia Judo Association.

Practicing Judo in the refugee camps has been able to bring peace and self-esteem to the refugees. Most of the people who have suffered from displacement have lost their sense of self and a vision for their futures – Judo is able to give them a purpose, a space to relax, feel at home and feel like they are part of a community. 

This article originally came from sportanddev