Overview:
The recent women empowerment project took place at Busitema University under the theme; “Female athlete recovery from COVID-19 effects through sports”.
The curve of an active sports personality (men and women) is symmetrical in nature.
You commence from scratch, climb gracefully, reach a peak and diminish drastically until retirement.
Many a time, the several sportsmen and women are urged to plan for that period of retirement; especially that natural means when age catches up with you.
To make ends meet, alumni of the Global Sports mentoring program led by former Uganda Crested head coach Majidah Nantanda and Agnes Baruka Masajja (also a senior sports tutor Busitema University and Director sports acceptance girls’ education) have revived the project of empowering former women sports personalities.
This was a program which was active before the deadly COVID-19 pandemic struck Uganda and the entire world at large.
The recent women empowerment project took place at Busitema University under the theme; “Female athlete recovery from COVID-19 effects through sports”.
Besides Global Sports Mentoring program (which part of the US physical development), the other key players in this project are Busitema University, Sports Diplomacy and Growing the Game for Girls.
This former women sportsmen empowerment program returns in the post COVID-19 epoch. This is for women sports personalities of all types; footballers, basketballers, netballers, runners, handballers and the like. We are engaging them in an economic way of living. Ex-players should not lose hope. They should come up and start income generating projects. The young players should also consider education at all times.
Majidah Nantanda, former alumni Global Mentoring Program
Spreading wings:
Nantanda has revealed that this program will spread wings from Busitema to the rest of the countryside.
“We have started in Busitema but shall spread to the other areas of the country as Kampala, Kibuku and elsewhere. This is a pan B for retired female sportswomen after the life of an active sports” she added.
The women were taken through projects as catering through cooking and bakery (making cakes, cookies and bread), making of reusable pads, make-up, sowing, agriculture especially growing of mushrooms and other activities.
Agnes Baruka Masajja, a senior sports tutor Busitema University talks about the value of skilling ex-women sports personalities.
We are skilling to empower women to acquire special skills to be self-sustaining and independent. We are bringing together all former women sportsmen who were engaged in any sports discipline as netball, football, basketball, athletics, hockey, rugby and others. We give them the hope that they can do something constructive and should not lose hope.”
Agnes Baruka Masajja, senior sports tutor Busitema University & Alumni Global Mentoring program
“Busitema University is a big sponsor for this project. They have given us the free venue. The empowerment of women around Busitema university is also an outreach program for the institution. The university in conjunction with the gender main streaming department is also empowering the community who should also benefit from the different programs at the university” she added.
Baruka urged the other willing partners and sponsors to come and join such a worthwhile cause.
At least fifty (50) former women sports personalities have been trained in this batch.
