A group of young girls between 10 and 18 years old gather together at the village ground which is close to the grazing area situated along the dusty road. The young girls are enjoying the fresh air coming from the trees in a nearby graveyard. These girls are from a small village in Malawi’s Dedza district and they are meeting up for their regular netball sessions.

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The village has low literacy levels, low community economic empowerment and low access to health services, safe water and sanitation. Most girls drop out of school due to poverty and they often marry young and face gender-based violence.

With funding from Comic Relief, United Purpose is running a three-year project to inspire girls to reach their full potential through netball.

Gladys is one of the girls spotted at the village ground. Aged 15, she has just completed her standard 8 examinations and has been with United Purpose’s Girls Inspired project for one year. Before joining the project, Gladys had no career goals; all she wanted was to finish her primary education and get married.

Now Gladys sees life differently. She is now able to make informed decisions, has a stronger sense of self-worth and has a role model in Yamikani Flao, the Project Manager for Girls Inspired. She sees the netball sessions as more than a sport and the sessions have helped her overcome challenges and set clear goals.

Gladys is just one of the 480 girls that we are working with through our Girls Inspired project. This project shows first-hand how sport can have a positive impact on mental and physical health, and helps these young women learn values like resilience and team work. Netball is used as a way to inspire and empower the girls to write a better future for themselves.

Read more about our sport for good work:

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United Purpose, formerly known as Concern Universal.