Women and girls are still disadvantaged and discriminated against in almost all areas of social, economic, and political life. As a consequence of COVID-19, girls and women have been increasingly prevented from accessing education and employment opportunities and are suffering from an increase in gender-based violence. The main reasons for the persisting inequalities are cultural, legal, and economic barriers that are often deeply rooted in societal norms, patriarchal power structures and individual interests.

The Sport for Development in Africa (S4DA) Regional Project uses sport and physical activity as an engaging tool to promote gender equality. Sport for Development (S4D) has the potential to change mindsets and behaviour patterns regarding the discrimination of women and girls. Through value-based exercises children and youth can develop their social competences and are sensitized on gender equality and inclusion. Accompanying discussion sessions enable participants to further explore the conveyed competence or topic and connect it to their daily life. S4DA follows a gender-transformative and rights-based approach which promotes equal opportunities for all. Safeguarding principles ensure that sport and physical activities are conducted in an environment which is free of harm and abuse while creating safe spaces for all.

S4DA’s main objective in Zanzibar is to promote gender equality, the transformation of stereotypical gender roles, the inclusion of people with disabilities while to promote social and job-relevant competences of children and youth through sport. To achieve this, the project aims at integrating S4D into partner programs and adopting gender transformative approaches to increase the participation of women and girls in sports and to create a more equitable and inclusive society through sports. 

We invite you to have a look at the following teaching and learning material, which was created by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and our partner organizations in Uganda. You will find a more detailed description about the materials in our collection S4D Tools for your Practice/Teaching and Learning Materials.