Kick4Life F.C. is a not for profit organisation based in Lesotho.
I have been fortunate to engage in presentations by the team from Kick4life on a couple of occasions. The challenges facing women in Lesotho are wide ranging and very challenging. This is largely due to the prevelence of gender based violence and HIV /AIDS.
Kick4life is not an obvious choice for an organisation to support women and girls, but the programs to available to women and the passion with which they speak of their experience with Kick4life demonstrates clearly the benefits of sport when it is with in supportive and ethical organisations.

“Many of the health needs and challenges are linked to the underlying societal issue of HIV/AIDS, and our integrated approach to this project addresses wellbeing in a holistic way. We believe this is essential to improving the overall long-term health chances of young people in Lesotho. The curriculum also includes significant components of hashtag#genderequality and life-skills development, which are critical in supporting the adoption of healthily attitudes and behaviours.” from www.kick4life.org

Hako Womens Collective – Bouganville
Bougainville, an autonomous region within Papua New Guinea, has low literacy rates and some of the highest rates of violence against women globally. In a region deeply scarred by a decade of civil war, the efforts of Hako Women’s Collective (Hako) have played a pivotal role in promoting peaceful reconciliations within families and communities. While entrenched gender norms persist, Hako’s steadfast commitment to change is bearing fruit. Despite initial resistance from some husbands, more women have been able to participate in activities. Moreover, the Collective has progressively engaged men through initiatives such as youth training, parenting programs, and the cocoa farming project.
The indigo foundation is a small, innovative and independent community development organisation based in Australia. Indigo partners with local community partners around the world to empower women and girls, improve education and health outcomes and defend human rights. Indigo first partnered with Hako four years ago. Since then, the women’s efforts have been recognised by agencies such as United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Australian Government, who have provided funding to deliver training in conflict resolution, gender-based violence, sorcery and related violence.

Kiribati Women and Children’s Support Centre.

In Kiribati, the national prevalence study shows that 68% of women experience violence by an intimate partner, almost double the global average.
I first met Teretia Tokam during the COVID lockdown as she presented the work of the Kiribati Women and Children Support centre ( KWCSC) as part of the Australian Volunteers Program Global Webinar Series.
Teretia is a lawyer and powerful voice for women’s rights in Kiribati. The KWCSC provides a vital service to women and children affected by violence, providing free confidential counselling, legal information, case management and community awareness.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. An annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day.

I have been very fortunate to be introduced to some amazing agencies working to support women and families. Over the next 16 days, I would like to celebrate them, and reflect on the great work they do.
#1 Kwakha Indvodza (The Male Mentoring Organisation)-Eswatini
About 63% of Swazis live below the national poverty line. Women in rural areas, especially those who live by Swazi law and customs are mostly vulnerable to discrimination and harmful practices. Supporting women’s economic empowerment, by strengthening capacity, opportunity and by creating an enabling environment, is key to achieving gender equality but pervasive social norms and discrimination continue to keep women from thriving in the workforce.
Founded in 2012 Kwakha Indvodza (“Building a Man”) is a not for profit organisation based in Eswatini. The goal of KI is to mentor men and boys as allies for gender equality, social justice and well-being. This includes projects involving accessibility of HIV treatment and prevention services, supporting young men through youth-friendly interventions in the community and correctional facilities, positively engaging Eswatini men by actively encouraging and emphasizing the importance of a father’s role in the family.