WHM Special: Pamoja Initiative On Sport’s Role in Gender Equality
March 26, 2021
In honour of March’s Women’s History Month, we are checking in with the 2020 Sport for Gender Equality Collective Impact Award winners. Today, we feature Umra Omar, Co-Founder of Kenya’s Pamoja Initiative, who spoke with us about sport's role in her life, gaining the confidence to lead and what it’s been like to collaborate with the other Collective Impact winners so far.
Pamoja Initiative uses swimming as a tool to address women’s safety in Lamu, Kenya, where women and children make up over 80% of drowning cases. Due in large part to religious norms and practices, boys and men have the freedom to go out into the water to swim and fish, whereas women and girls typically remain in the household without the opportunity to learn the lifesaving skill.
“We live on islands where the mode of transport is by sea. Men and boys have unrestricted access and consequently confidence in water. Women and girls do not. This is a life skill that has extensive impact on not only the survival of women and girls, but in serving a tool of leveraging equity by building a stronger sense of security, confidence and sisterhood," says Umra.
As part of its ‘Girls Swimming for Change’ program, swimming is used to empower young girls and as a learning tool on decision making around bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health rights. Lamu County is one of the 15 counties that contributes to over 60% of maternal mortality, high numbers of early and child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).
“Gender equality in sport is critical not only for our organization but also in the global arena to tap into the power of sport as a universal language of empowerment, wellness, collaboration and much more, all of which should not be a male privilege but a reality accessible across all genders.”
She also notes that she wouldn’t be where she is today if it wasn’t for sports in her own life and the confidence it gave her. Umra learned how to swim in the 3rd grade and went to join the swimming team, but got kicked out after her first instructor thought it was a joke. She then found a new instructor who nurtured her into a great swimmer who won medals.
“I did competitive swimming; I have a broken jaw from field hockey. Being able to gain sports girl of the year in school made me feel like I have a seat at the table. It made me feel like there’s nothing that should be out of touch just because I am a girl, or because I am from the Muslim background or from the coast. So, for me, sports opened that door to tell me that life is a game I have a right to play in.”
Supported by Comic Relief and the BT Supporters Club, the four Collective Impact Award winners were selected to work together over one year to address gender equality across East and Southern Africa. They will work in real-time to drive real and sustainable impact through sport by sharing each other's expertise and best practices in group workshops facilitated by our sister consultancy, thinkBeyond.
"Gender equality is a collective pursuit. Collaborating with other entities, learning from one another and creating that collective force. When we bring these voices together the impact is much bigger than we would have possibly been able to do so as a one off."
The self-assessment tool used in the introduction workshop significantly focuses on assessing the incorporation of girls into programs that do not necessarily do so and allows the organisations to analyse their programming.
“We have learnt that our organization is still at early stages of institutionalizing gender inclusion, and instead operates in a much more organic framework given the fact that our program is purely designed by and for young girls and women.”
“I would like to see our organisation in the future use sports as the agency that tackles the disenfranchisement of girls, women and youth in Lamu County by promoting a new face of leadership.”
On the subject of national day’s dedicated to advancing gender equality, such as International Women’s Day, Umra was quick to point out that society has a long way to go if we still have to set aside one day in a year to recognize women.
Watch Umra’s 2020 Beyond Sport Global Awards Campaign interview with Sports Anchor and Presenter Motshidisi Mohono here.