It is common knowledge that sport as a universal language can
be used as a powerful tool to convey a message of peace. In honour of the 2016 International
Day of Peace, Sadili’s Girl Power Clubs Africa on Saturday 17th
September held a sports day that saw 62 Girl Power Club members from St. Catherine’s
and Nazarene Primary schools assemble at Sadili grounds to play, learn
important life skills and celebrate peace.
With the theme ‘conflict resolution’, the day started with
an insightful and interactive 3 hour forum that was led by Ms. Everlyne
Sigilai, Mr. Kevin Ayuko and Sr. Gloria Ozuruoke who are social educators at
Sadili. In this forum the girls learnt about the history of Peace One Day and
its relevance in today’s world. The
forum also provided a platform for the girls to freely discuss the types of conflicts
they have found themselves in, how they resolved the conflicts and the steps
they have taken to avoid such situations. The girls also presented attention-grabbing
short skits on conflict resolution that kept everyone entertained and engaged. At
the end of the forum, the girls recited non-violence pledges. One of the
pledges read in part “…I promise to say I’m sorry and mean it when I have hurt
another person, to forgive others when they have hurt me, and to keep from
holding grudges”.
The forum was followed by sports, where Sadili staff joined
the girls in playing soccer and rugby.
“It has been a wonderful experience. I now have a better
understanding of what peace means to me as an individual, what it means to my relationships
with friends and what it means to the whole world. I can’t wait to share what I
have learnt today with my family when I get back home,” remarked Yvonne Atieno,
a pupil at St. Catherine’s Primary school. “The sports have also been so much
fun, just the way I had expected!”
This sports day was just one of the many activities that Girl
Power Clubs had planned for this year’s celebration of Peace One Day. On the
week of the Peace Day (Monday 19th-Friday 23rd), Sadili staff
visited Girl Power clubs in schools including
Olympic High School on 19th, St. Catherine's Primary School on 20th, Nazarene Primary on 21st (which was also the official Peace One Day) as well as Karama Academy on 23rd where the same message of peace was spread under the theme ‘conflict
resolution’. The social educators put a lot of emphasis on the fact that peace begins
with an individual and that everyone should take the responsibility to stand
for peace. By Friday 23rd September, Sadili staff had reached more than 150 Girl Power Club members with the message of peace.
Sadili Oval Sports Academy strongly
believes in the power of sport to promote peace and understanding by
bringing people together across boundaries, cultures and religions. Girl Power
Clubs Africa, a program initiated in 2007 by Sadili’s director and head
professional Dr. Liz Odera , focuses on providing girls with a chance to learn
life skills and learn to make decisions that affect their lives and their
communities positively.
Below are a few photos from our celebration of Peace Day with Girl power Clubs. Enjoy!
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