On June 6th, 2024, the Imara Brave Girls Tournament, organized by Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) and Planned Parenthood Global (PPG), brought together a vibrant community of over 1,000 participants, including young girls and women, parents, feminist CSOs, and like-minded partners, to celebrate brave sports individuals and champion Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues.
The tournament, held at the International University of East Africa, featured 16 school football teams, including Alliance High School, Church of God High School, Exodus College School, and others. The event was filled with excitement and color, with a surprise performance by the Miss Uganda team competing against RAHU, showcasing the hidden talents of girls in sports.
Humphrey Nabimanya, founder of Reach A Hand Uganda, delivered a keynote speech emphasizing the importance of empowering girls and women to become future leaders and break barriers in society. He highlighted the global campaign, “This Is Brave,” run by PPG Global, and the Billion Campaign, which aims to create a society that empowers everyone.
The Imara Brave Girls Tournament is part of the Imara Girls Festival 2024, which took place on June 5th, 2024, with the theme “Addressing Empowerment Barriers through Amplified Youth Voices!” The festival celebrates the role and contribution of women and girls in advancing health and development at the national, regional, and global levels.
The ‘Billi Now Now!’ Youth Summit, held from June 4th to 6th, brought together youth from PPG countries to discuss topics related to youth SRHR and broader social justice issues.
The Imara Brave Girls Tournament objectives include offering a platform for girls and women to take on brave actions in sports, celebrating brave contributions, and fostering a better understanding of sports as a safe space to champion for brave initiatives.
The event highlighted the importance of addressing empowerment barriers and challenging stereotypical beliefs in sports and other disciplines. Social cultural norms, beliefs, and values have continuously placed girls in inferior positions, making them bear the larger burden of gender-based challenges.
Efforts to address these issues can only be successful if they are designed and steered by girls and women themselves. The Imara Brave Girls Tournament is a step towards creating a society that empowers everyone, and we are all winners because we are part of the Billion Campaign.
Note to editor:
- The Imara Brave Girls Tournament is a 1-day football tournament event organized by Reach a Hand Uganda and the Sauti Plus Media Hub in Partnership with The Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) and Planned Parenthood Global.
- The Imara Girls Festival is an integrated campaign that celebrates the role and contribution of women and girls in advancing health and development at the national, regional, and global levels.
- The Billi Now Now! Youth Summit is a dynamic three-day event, led by young people, scheduled to take place from the 4th to the 6th of June.
Additional highlights:
- Reach a Hand Uganda raised 5 million shillings for the Eddy Kenzo foundation.
- The winner of the tournament, Watoto Church, took home 6 million Ugandan shillings.
Here is the list of schools that participated
Alliance High School
Church of God High School
Exodus College School
Luzira Secondary School
God Cares High School
Bishop Cypriano Kihangire Boarding
Bishop Cypriano Kihangire Day
St Elizabeth Secondary School
Hope Secondary School
St Mary’s High School Bujuko
Elite High School
Sir Apollo Kaggwa Secondary School
Scoris International School
Golden High School
Hope Secondary School Watoto Church
St. Mary’s High School
Boston High School
Atlas High School
Shortly after the championship, the revelers including the delegates from different countries were taken to MOTIV for the afterparty. This afterparty was the final moment for the BNN delegates to enjoy each other’s warm company. They shared ideas, planned new ideas, are, drank until dawn.
Below are more pictures from the event:
