Binti- Girls Dribbling for Bodily Integrity!
Binti uses girls' soccer to focus on sexuality and reproductive health rights and opens dialogue on respect for rights of young women.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Your idea
Sport
Soccer
Year the initative began (yyyy)
2007
YouTube Upload
Project URL (include HTTP://)
Positioning of your initiative on the mosaic diagram:
Which of these barriers is the primary focus of your work?
Lack of “safe spaces”
Which of the principles is the primary focus of your work?
Use sport to build character
If you believe some other barrier or principle should be included in the mosaic, please describe it and how it would affect the positioning of your initiative in the mosaic:
Early pregnancies and the risk of HIV infection as barriers to girls' education
Name Your Project
Binti- Girls Dribbling for Bodily Integrity!
Describe Your Idea
Binti uses girls' soccer to focus on sexuality and reproductive health rights and opens dialogue on respect for rights of young women.
Innovation
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence?
Binti uses girls' soccer to focus on sexuality and reproductive health rights and opens dialogue on respect for rights of young women.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field?
'Binti' is a Kiswahili word meaning 'daughter' targeting girls in one of the slums of Nairobi. Soccer is used to break the ice in discussions on matters of sexuality and reproductive rights. Focus is on the fact that self esteem, confidence and assertiveness of young women are essential in negotiating for safe sex and control when and how sex happens. Lack of this control leads to early pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexual abuse that interferes with their education. Girls are also trained on critical areas of leadership and linked up with mentors. The girls have discussions on how to grapple with the challenges of growing up in poverty, vulnerability to sexual exploitation and prevention of HIV/AIDS. The goal of Binti is to strengthen the movement of young women for gender rights, human sexuality and progressive masculinities. Binti offers an avenue to demystify certain notions of flawed masculinities that encourage the violation of the rights of girls and young women.
What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change?
Sexuality is not openly acknowledged and the sexuality of young people is particularly taboo. Girls lack safe spaces to openly share and learn about matters of their growth and development and how that impacts on their education and leadership development. Binti promotes leadership development through mentorship and coaching of the girls involved in the project. The significance of the safe spaces created is that sexuality is discussed and relevant skills, information, capacity and ability shared to make girls proactive in defending their dreams.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing?
Binti uses soccer to bring girls, young women and women leaders (mentors) together to participate in dialogues, public forums and motivational talks. Friendly football matches and tournaments are organized aimed at opening safe spaces for girls to talk about their issues and seek possible solutions to the problems. It is also aimed at challenging the notion that girls cannot perfect the game of soccer though it is soccer with a purpose for social justice. The girls are equipped with life skills and peer education to promote girl to girl information sharing. Journaling is part of the skills they learn so that they can document their own stories and experiences of both football and life in general. Motivational talks are an essential part of reflections of vision and purpose for the girls.
How do you plan to grow your innovation?
The plan for growth is based on creating visibility for girls' issues and have them articulate them to a wider setting through radio. The Binti radio programmes will be a space for them to interact with other girls live on radio and will allow them to challenge certain injustices in their communities. YWLI will create Binti spaces as autonomous safe spaces for girls through school scouting and girl guide associations. The idea is to get more girls involved in addressing social justice issues in their communities while at the same time creating links and expanding networks through existing structures. Binti will provide space for exchange of ideas as a learning platform through other initiatives of girls' soccer. It is hoped that these girls can play in the national leagues and eventually get some of them invited to the national team.
Impact
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact.
The intended result is reduced early pregnancies, increase in girl school retention rate, and more girls speaking up against violations of their rights.
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries?
The Binti soccer team benefits girls under 16 years while mentorship and coaching is for those aged between 9-20 years. The impact has been in change of attitudes towards the importance of girls' education and soccer as an activity to address idleness and other social problems such as early pregnancies and unsafe abortions. More girls open up on issues affecting them and report for assistance. Girls indicate that they would like to continue with their education even where they had dropped out due to poverty or other reasons. Binti has 25 girls playing soccer and have reached out to others through schools to give talks on menstrual hygiene and health, relationships, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and what leadership role they can take in addressing those issues. Teachers are more receptive than they were when the initiative was first introduced through one of the community schools.
How many people have you served directly?
Since its inception in February 2007, 5 Binti girls have taken up leadership in their schools, 17 were trained as peer educators and have reached 300 other girls, 10 motivational talks have been held for the girls, 2 girls approached YWLI to intervene on abuse at home, 1 girl has returned to school and is performing well after being in child prostitution, she is still undergoing rehabilitation, a trialogue between parents, their girls and community leaders was held with 80 girls, 15 parents, 5 community leaders and 10 young men thus addressing of negative attitudes towards advancing the rights of girls and women.
How many people have you served indirectly?
This initiative has indirectly served about 500 households; with an average of 5 people. This is because the open forums and football matches are publicized in the community to allow for others to attend.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation?
Some parents have got involved in understanding Binti activities and offering more support and encouragement to their daughters. Some boys have opened up in discussions involving them and one aged 14years accepted to go for counseling due to drug and sex addiction.
There are more girls indicating that they would like to go back to school although their parents are unable to pay their fees. 7 who recently completed primary school have asked for assistance in getting sponsorship to continue with education.
What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact?
The main barriers are in stereotypes and attitudes that promote violations, parents who still see sexuality matters as taboo, and men who due to unsound notions of masculinities sexually abuse girls thus interfering with their education. Community leaders who are non-responsive to addressing such violations. Resources to ensure proper facilities, exposure and school sponsorship remain as the big challenge.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)?
Currently, Binti is funded by the Ford Foundation for 2 tournaments this year, motivational talks in schools, and an exchange visit as a learning platform with other girls who play foot ball but are also trained as peer educators to reach out to other girls and young women.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization.
YWLI has an annual budget of at least $ 155,000 although the availability of funds depends on actual funding from targeted donors. For the coming year, the confirmed funding is $ 100,000 with $ 10,000 being towards Binti initiative. YWLI has 1 Executive Director, 1 Finance and Administration co-director, 1 Program Coordinator, an Assistant Program Officer, an Office Assistant, 1 Administrative Assistant, Accountant and 1 Volunteer.
What is the potential demand for your innovation?
There is potential for replication of this model in other parts of the country and a growing demand to address sexuality needs of girls. Adolescents 10-19 years comprise more than one-quarter of Kenya's population. A greater percentage of 15-19 year-olds live in urban areas; this trend is more pronounced among girls than boys. Girls are more likely than boys to live in households in which neither parent is present. This points to need to reach out to more girls for empowerment.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability?
The lack of adequate funds for institutional support from donors who prefer to give small grants to specific projects.
The Story
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story.
Binti is an initiative of the Young Women's Leadership Institute (YWLI) initiated under the internship program. One of the interns decided to work with girls and boys to address their reproductive health issues through peer education. There was nothing new in using peer education, so I discussed with her on how to link our work with what other feminist organizations in Africa were doing. I had just returned from the first ever African feminist forum in Ghana and formation of an African feminist football club was shared. This meant that we have to begin in-country before the continental level. YWLI's mission is to break barriers preventing young women from living lives of equality, we identified the lack of safe spaces as a barrier. While discussing how to attract young women and girls to a sustainable initiative to address their issues I shared with the intern that football which is associated largely with boys can be a cutting edge approach in getting the girls interested and attracting the attention of parents and community leaders. I also gave it the name Binti thus 'daughter' in reference to pride in parenting girls since in some communities there is a preference for the boy child. Thus, the soccer team was created as an autonomous safe space for girls in Kawangware slums. I also wanted to create the link between our core business of leadership development for young women and taking the mantle to address sexuality concerns for and by girls.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material.
Saida Ali is a co-founder and Executive Director of YWLI, an organization founded by young women to create space for young women to articulate their views and visions on the women's rights development agenda. She is an Archbishop Desmond Tutu fellow (2007) at the African Leadership Institute. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree, several short courses on human rights and will be undertaking an honors degree on Gender and Transformation in 2008 at the University of Cape Town.
How did you hear about this contest and what is your main incentive to participate? (this is confidential)
I am a member of the Gaiaspace community; that provides an environment for people to interact on matters of transformation. One other member read my profile and the work I am involved in with young women in Kenya and she introduced me to someone who works at the Nike Foundation. She wrote to me about Ashoka and asked me to check the change makers website. My main incentive for participating is getting an exposure and visibility for what Binti is all about, get links with potential donors, and it would be a pleasure to win in this competition as the grant would be directed to the girls' soccer team for a medical cover for the girls in the team. If it would allow, perhaps meet some school fees for some of the girls and training for the team coach.
Affiliation (please list all that apply)
Binti is not not affiliated to any of the above but it is a project of the YWLI which is a non-governmental organization registered in Kenya.
| Attachment | Size |
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| Motivational talk.jpg | 184.73 KB |
| Pads for girls.jpg | 162.59 KB |
| She dribbles!.jpg | 824.91 KB |
| Sanitary pads.jpg | 393.58 KB |
| Take that ball away.jpg | 548.8 KB |
| Team and coach.jpg | 264.59 KB |
 | 227 weeks agoJasper Nicolaisen said: Hi Saida, I really like how you focus on empowering girls and breaking the taboo around female sexuality here rather than catering to ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 228 weeks agoSaida Ali said: Dear Andrew, Thank you very much for your comments, I am motivated by what you said. I am sorry for not responding sooner. I have not ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 232 weeks agoAndrew Aris said: Dear Saida, Your project is indeed motivating and using journalism training could help to really develop the self confidence of young ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 232 weeks agoRebecca Childs said: University of Southern California Really good idea to incorporate journaling as part of the solution. This internal reflection is ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
