By William Madouk Garang
Tiger United Football Club has been crowned as girls champion in a just concluded two-day girls’ football competition hosted in Aweil Town of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
The competition was sponsored by Empower Youth Africa together with Young Women Association organization. It aims at influencing strategies of women and youth to enable them partake in the peace agreement.
The state minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, Bol Akuar Gamar said empowering girls and women is the key, asserting that the sport game is good for health and it builds teamwork spirit.
“Empowering girls and women is very important because, in some communities, girls and women may be reluctant to participate or prohibited from participating in traditional sports activities,” Gamar said.
“It’s very important that Sports can teach life skills through participation in sports, young people can learn about health and fitness, goal setting and personal development,” he continued.
He added that his Ministry appreciates Empower Youth Africa for the wonderful work done to bring youth together in the State.
For his part, State Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Kaku Lucia said sport is very good saying they should also engage these young girls to participate in sports activities.
“It made them committed in order to forget about things to do with marriage because when the girls are committed to the sport immediately it encourages other girls who sit idle at home to attract them to love sports activities,” Lucia said.
The state minister of Gender also encouraged those who are having a dream to keep recruiting more players at the State level in different five counties, while she encouraged girls to move out of their houses and engage in sports.
Meanwhile, state Minister of Peace Building, Abuor Gordon stated that “If you engage youth more, they will know the benefit of peace because Youth is the backbone of the country.”
Ms. Gordon said the objective of the tournament was to create awareness among girls of what is happening in the country, asserting that people at the grassroots level are not aware but if they are told that this peace tournament is concerning coexistence they will come.