Kwale girls break barriers to become football referees

"Women don't need to find a voice, they have a voice, and they need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen," Meghan Markle once said.

These intriguing and empowering words are so true to a group of young women in Waa Ng'ombeni, Kwale county, who have broken all the barriers to find their purpose in life.

The group of six young women who are ardent lovers of football have graduated as referees and assistant referees.

They graduated with 19 other people, mostly youth from maskani (streets).

Events rarely in the region because Kwale is known as a conservative county, where the female gender is expected to behave in a certain way.

Women have long been sidelined because of outdated traditions, cultures and religious influence.

It limits them not only in leadership positions but also in sports and inheritance, among others. 

Despite numerous empowerment campaigns by the county government and NGOs, many people are yet to fully accept that women are equal to men and can do better.

Some of the women have bowed to the pressure of male chauvinism and accepted their chosen fate despite being empowered.

However, Bintiomar Changu, Bintihassan Mwamnjema and Neema Mwawema stood their ground to pursue football careers regardless of criticism from the community.

The believe that in this life, you need to be a go-getter. To listen to your inner self and do it, no matter what other people say.

The girls said they want to become a beacon of hope and inspiration to many young ladies with a passion for sports but lacking the means. 

Changu said Kwale has many talented girls in various fields of sports, but they are afraid of how the community will perceive them. 

She said it has, in turn, led to the shuttering of many dreams as talents go unrecognised and unnurtured.

EMPOWERMENT 

The three are among the thousands of youth who are being mentored and empowered by Samba Sports Youth Agenda, a coastal-based youth affairs organisation.

Sports is one of the many methods the NGO is using to keep youth out of the streets and fight drug abuse, teen pregnancies, early marriages and crime.

Previously, Kwale was grappling with a high number of drug addicts and insecurities, as well as teen pregnancies. 

The organisation's CEO Mohammed Mwachausa said the initiative is under a programme called 'Shift'.

The plan seeks to engage and transform youth by increasing their focus on talent nurturing, enhancing resilience and fostering tolerance and cohesion.

"The programme intends to actively engage youth and drive them away from crime, drug abuse, teen pregnancies and other social vices by helping them realise their potential as well as supporting them to grow," he said.

The youth are being provided with the necessary core value skills to shun violence and become responsible members of society.

The programme is being implemented in partnership with the Australian mining firm Base Titanium and the Football Kenya Federation.

Mwachausa said the programme is also focused on creating livelihoods and sustainable income for the youth to prevent them from being vulnerable.

He said mid-this year, they trained the first batch of 30 youth on coaching skills, and they were awarded diploma coaching certificates.

One of them was a woman, a mother of three children, Asha Jama, famously known as the Boss Lady.

The CEO said they want to assist the youth and, more importantly, women to expose their talents and find various sponsorships and opportunities within the realm of sports.

He said it is a new dawn for women and they should be empowered to achieve their goals regardless of gender.

Mwachausa said many talented young girls have had their skills and lives wasted for lack of the required support in growing.

He said more opportunities are opening up for female players, referees, coaches and lineswomen because the world's soccer has evolved and champions equality in sports.

The CEO said the programme also provides a good platform for youth to acquire both sports and life skills to enhance discipline and resilience.

"The most important thing about this programme is to capacity-build youth so they can train colleagues and the younger generation, not just football but good virtues," he said.

The qualified youth went through a six-day training and graduated.

According to Mwachausa, the youth were given Kitts jazz and other equipment to enable them to perform their work.

BREAKING BARRIERS

Changu, Mwamnjema and Mwawema said despite being called names for associating themselves with men's activities, they didn't give up.

The three said some members of the community used to perceive them as 'Wakware', a derogatory Swahili word meaning girls who love the company of men and make obvious their sexual eagerness and lack of principles.

She said there are certain professions the community feels weird seeing women practising, such as engineering, driving and football.

Most of the people who criticised them were fellow girls.

"We have been called names and to make it worse, the insults come from the women themselves," Changu said.

Mwamnjema said gender bias has taken a better hold of the community, and were it not for endurance and focus, they would have quit.

She said when the community sees a woman wearing trousers and shorts in the field, they are brand her negatively.

Mwamnjema said for women to play soccer or engage in sports, it is perceived as a great sin and they are seen as prostitutes.

She said luckily enough, they have the support of their parents, something that has kept them going.

Mwamnjema said graduating as a referee makes it crystal clear that women are capable of anything when given a chance and empowered.

She said some women and males who doubted them during the beginning of the training are now supporting them after seeing what they can do in the field.

Mwawema said their resilience inspired many who came to cheer them up during the training sessions.

She said it is a breakthrough for them and stigma is slowly subsiding as women get recognised in sports.

EXPECTATIONS

The three young ladies are aspiring to officiate the national and international football leagues in future.

Mwawema said she would further her studies in the referee field and become the likes of Pierluigi Collina, a former Italian football referee.

The 26-year-old said she takes football as a profession and will work hard to realise her goals.

Mwawema said despite being a two-diploma holder in criminology and social work, her love of football is undying.

The young woman is a great fan of football and always finds herself on the pitch, either playing or officiating local matches during the training sessions.

"Football means a lot to me. The passion is too much, and I can't hide it," she said.

She said having graduated as a referee is a steppingstone to realising her football career.

Changu, who is undertaking her diploma in counselling psychology, said she treats football as a second profession and will put more emphasis to become both the greatest player and a referee.

She said with the rising cost of living standards, people should stop being selective about jobs and take the ones available.

Changu said she sees a great opportunity in football and is ready to grasp one when a chance presents itself.

"I might be struggling with my studies, yet my charisma is in football. But you won't know it until you try," she said.

Mwamnjema also has the same plans and wants to pursue a refereeing career to the highest level that life can give.

She said she would begin by officiating small matches for both women and men to gain experience before embarking on the big leagues.

BENEFITS

Kwale FKF director general Shaban Mwero said the programme played a crucial part in nurturing talents and promoting local football at the grassroots level for both women and men.

He said it has provided a platform for both girls and boys to explore their skills professionally.

Mwero said more girls have come out and embraced sports, especially football.

He said the recently graduated youth would supplement the increasing demand for match officiating workforce in the region.

Mwero said the initiative of involving women in football will promote the sector.

"Let's continue supporting our girls because talents are there and need nurturing," he said.

Kwale FKF secretary Shilingi Fumbwe advised the youth, stressing on girls to make good use of the skills to transform lives and improve local soccer.

He said the youth should advocate for peaceful football matches by creating awareness of new football rules and regulations.

"Football has been involved and new laws are applied, but youth fail to understand that because they don't know," he said.

He said football pays well, adding that officiating a single match earns one between Sh5,000 and more than Sh10,000 in local football.

Fumbwe said many local leagues are coming up in Kwale, but there are a few qualified and certified referees.

He said if the girls can use the opportunity, they can reap big in sports.

Changu, Mwamnjema and Mwawema said football has boosted their health.

The three said they rarely get sick easily and are always sharp in their thinking.

Before, they used to get joint pains and flu, but nowadays, they are physically fit.

Their decision-making skills have also improved.