Ashoka - Nike Celebration of the

Sports for Gender Empowerment initiativeand International Women’s Day

28th of March 2009Gezira Youth Center - Cairo, Egypt

Ashoka is the global association of the world’s lead-ing social entrepreneurs—men and women with sys-tem changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Since 1981, Ashoka has supported over 2,600 leading social entrepreneurs in 70 coun-tries to contribute to positive social change.

Iman Bibars, Regional Direc-tor Ashoka Arab World &

Adly El Shafei of Nike Egypt

Why are we partners?

Ashoka is an organization based on the power of innovation in the citizen sector, supporting innovative individuals who use unconventional tools to approach age-old problems. Sports are among the tools which Ashoka believes can bring about positive Social Change.

Nike is an organization founded with a belief in the endless possibilities for human potential in sports. Nike believes that sport can contribute to gender equity in societies where women and girls are in positions of inequality. Nike is a pioneer in adopting Corporate Social Responsibility Programs and in bringing Sports to underprivileged communities.

Nike, with its strong commitment to social responsibility and expertise in athletic endeavors makes a perfect partner for Ashoka in its initiative promoting sports for social change. Both Nike and Ashoka share a focus on innovation and improving lives, values which provide a strong basis for continued work.

In 2006, Ashoka Arab World and Nike Regional Office for Europe Middle East and Africa embarked on a partnership with to implement projects with Ashoka fellows under the theme “Sports as a tool for gender Empowerment” in the Arab World.

Ashoka Arab World Fellows at the “Gender Equity in Sports for Social Change “ in Mo-

rocco , May 2007

On the 28th of March 2009, Ashoka organized a Sports Day to celebrate the success of the initiative and Women’s day. The celebration seeked to showcase an examplary collaboration between the Citizen Sector and the Business Sector using an innovative approach yet simple tools. The outcomes of the joint initiative were demonstrated and have succeeded in engaging new partners from the business sector and the athletic community.

80,000 EuROS

(year1)

700 GIRlS & WOMEN

7 SPORTS

14 PROjECTS

6 AShOkA FEllOWS

100,000 EuROS(years 2&3)

MORE WOMEN EMPOWERED

What the girls & women said about the projects:

77.7 % of the girls felt the program gave them space to express themselves85% of the girls were felt more confident of after participating in the program

Ashoka Fellow Magdy Aziz telling Mr. Adly El Shafei of Nike Egypt how he introduced football in Minya

What our Fellows said about the Initiative:

“After Sailing on their own, the girls became more self-reliant than ever”

“Through sports education, our social workers have been able to deliver messages to children on the most pressing issues they face on the street”

“Yoga helped the women feel more grounded and get a sense of stability in their everyday life”

“learning karate instilled a new found sense of security in street girls”

“Watching their daughters compete in a classically male sport, football, and win, parents started believing more in their girls”

“Thanks to aerobics our nurses love their jobs more as they no longer suffer backaches”

“Hip Hop gave my girls and boys lots of self-confidence as everyone clapped to their show”

“I always wished to play soccer with my brothers but they never let me. Now I am mem-ber of the team who won the first prize in the soccer tournament” hagar, 11 years Old, kafr Elmansoura Primary School, First prize Winner.

Teachers of Advance enjoying thier yoga class

The program reached over 700 girls and women across the Arab World. The girls and women are from different backgrounds and consequently they suffer different types of exclusion and prejudice.

Girls from upper Egypt could not practice sports, particularly outdoor sports, • because of cultural taboos. Moroccan girls were discouraged from participating in the same sports as men, • as women’s power is underestimated in some regions. Girls and women in Palestine didn’t have access to sports or to alternative • means of self-expression to relieve the pressure they suffer because of prevailing violence.Street children, both girls and boys remained excluded from sports competitions • as they lacked the resources needed for training, and thus missed out on opportunities to feel equal to children from privileged backgrounds.Teachers and nurses were not accustomed to taking time away from their busy • days for their health and fitness, particularly as sports were viewed as a luxury by their families, and in most cases by the women themselves.

Ashoka Fellow Abdel Fattah Abu srrour – Palestine Abdelfattah aims to combat the phenomenon of violence among children and to transform them into promoters of non-violent and cultural resistance. Abdel Fattah’s project provided a peaceful emotional and creative outlet for children and women living in Bethlehem’s Aida refugee camp through theatre. under the Ashoka-Nike partnership, Abdel Fattah introduced sports activities and dancing classes as an additional outlet for self-expression and stress relief.

karate Show from Tofoulty Organization which has ben-efited from the Ashoka-Nike Partnership

We thought of celebrating the success of our Sports for Gender Empowerment Initiative to show how a simple tool can make a big difference and how collaboration between the citizen sector and the business sector can work exceptionally well when both parties have the same end in mind. We thought what better way to celebrate than a Sports Day.

We selected a venue traditionally designated for young men, El Gezira Youth Center, one of the many youth centers in Egypt where girls seldom play sports without restrictions, to reclaim women’s right to Youth Centers. We talked to our fellows and all the women and girls who benefited from our projects to participate in the sports day competitions and shows. We also invited renowned athletes to act as role models for the girls and women, and a number of Ashoka friends to celebrate the success of the program. Boys and men were there to share the same field with female players, trainers and atheletes. The event brought together 250 guests.

Ashoka fellows who have benefited from the Sports for Gender Empowerment Initiative in Egypt participated in the Sports Day. Among them Magdy Aziz, Maha Helali, Reda Shoukry, Magda Iskandar and Seham Ibrahim. Ashoka Fellowship candidates Azza Kamel and Balsam & Lulwa Al-Ayoub also attended the Sports Day to get acquainted with the Initiative .

Ashoka Fellow Magda Iskandar - EgyptMagda created the profession of home health care in Egypt and trained a cadre of home health care providers who offer high-quality, affordable services to the elderly and others who are home-bound. under the Ashoka-Nike partnership, Magda introduced physical fitness to Home Healthcare Providers trainees whose work requires physical strength and agility.

Samia Allouba team lead-ing the Aerobics class, while nurses from Care with Love follow the steps

Adly El Shafei, of Nike Egypt and his team attended the event to see the outcome of the cooperation between Ashoka Arab World and Nike’s office for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Nike Egypt sponsored the event, offering sportswear for the girls to wear in the different activities. After the sports day, Mr. El Shafei expressed Nike Egypt’s interest in sponsoring the Sports for Gender Empowerment Initiative and any related events in the future.

Samia Allouba, icon of health and fitness in Egypt and owner of the leading Egyptian chain of Gym, Dance and Fitness Centers was one of the Sports’ Day’s main sponsors. A firm believer in the importance of a healthy body for a healthy mind, and the lady who first introduced the fitness culture to many Egyptian women through television in the late 80s, and later to young girls through her Gym classes, Samia Allouba supported our event wholeheartedly. The fitness team conducted aerobics classes for the women and girls, and by the end of the day handed out gym passes and dance and fitness class vouchers to all attendees. We all wore T-shirts with Samia’s slogan “Yes, you can!”.

Ashoka Fellow Magdy Aziz - EgyptMagdy promotes the concepts of democracy and gender-equality within the formal educational system. under the Ashoka-Nike Partnership, Magdy introduced volley ball and women’s soccer to Girls in primary schools in El-Minya Governorate.

Lulwa Al-Ayoub Training the girls and boys on ba-sic fencing moves

Sahar El-Hawary, Head of the Egyptian Women’s Soccer Federation supported the event, providing the Ashoka team with valuable contacts and guidance. Ms. El hawary also awarded Ashoka a trophy in recognition of its efforts in bringing sports to women and girls in Egypt.

Kuwaiti fencing champions Balsam & Lulwa Al-Ayoub, candidates to the Ashoka fellowship for their efforts in using sports as a tool for Gender Empowerment in the Gulf Countries and in advocating for Professional Female Athletes’ Rights were part of the event. The Al-Ayoub sisters trained young girls and boys on basic fencing moves. The sisters were among the event’s sponsors, thereby launching Touché their newly established Sports Events Management Company.

Ashoka Fellow Maha helali - EgyptMaha works on the full integration of autistic people in society based on their real needs and their degree of autism. Maha works with female Special Education Needs (SEN) teachers at her organization who exert a straining physical effort in their work with autistic children. under the Ashoka-Nike partnership, Maha offered fitness training to the teachers by renting a gym facility where they attended aerobics classes on a weekly basis.

Wadi-Degla Club team & kafr El Mansoura School team with their coaches before the soc-cer game.

The Wadi Degla Sports Club – Arsenal Soccer School, also joined the event to play a soccer game with the kafr El Mansoura Primary School & Zohra Primary School Team from Minya which was trained under the Sports for Gender Empowerment program. The aim of the match was to bring in a friendly competition, Egyptian girls from different social backgrounds to interact together, and to show attendees how the girls who participated in the Ashoka-Nike program could be a tough competitor for the girls trained by the Arsenal Soccer School.

Ashoka Fellow Mohamed Andaloussi - MoroccoAndaloussi works on modernizing the educational system and link its products to the market in Morocco through involving the business sector in improving the management and education cycle of schools. under the Ashoka-Nike partnership, Moahmed introduced sailing as an extracurricular activity for girls in the partner schools of his organization, the project aims at instilling and strengthening the values of competition, team work, respect for the environment, and adventure.

Members of Cairo Cycler’s Club heading to the start of the Gender Empowerment Ride

The Cairo Cycler’s Club, an urban cycling group promoting a greener living and social change also joined the event. The cycling club is one of very few urban sports groups which enabled girls to reclaim their space on the harassment burdened streets of Cairo. The group organized a ride for gender empowerment around Zamalek Island, where the Youth Center is, which brought increased visibility to the Ashoka-Nike initiative among the wider public.

“Scream” Program of the International labour Organization gave a workshop about child rights and child labour targeting street children. By the end of the workshop, the children drew pictures representing their rights and dreams.

Ashoka Fellow Ola Abu Alghaib - PalestineOla empowers women with disabilities and creates an enabling environment to guarantee their full integration and participation in the society. under the Ashoka-Nike partnership, Ola organized a comprehensive fitness program for disabled women, aiming at improving the physical and health status and promoting independency and self awareness of women with disability through different sports activities.

Coca-Cola Egypt was among the event’s sponsors, an icon associated with sports, Coca Cola offered refreshments to the participants.

The leading Telecom company, Mobinil sponsored the event as part of its Social Responsibility program focusing on underprivileged children, offering footballs and toys for the children.

Ashoka Fellow Seham Ibrahim - EgyptSeham redirects the current philosophy of dealing with street children to create a consistent and comprehensive approach to tackle root causes of their exclusion. under the Ashoka-Nike Partnership, Seham gave street girls access to a sports center where they were able to exercise, learn about proper nutrition, practice self-defense and martial arts training to be able to defend themselves on the streets.

HipHop Show from the children of Tofoulty orga-nization

Community Engagement

Also invited were a number of guests from Ashoka’s network who came to participate in the Sports day. After seeing the outcome of the projects, one of the guests contributed with a donation to the program. The guest said she was happy to see effective alternatives to the traditional charity programs in Egypt. Also, one of the guests volunteered to give regular dance classes to the street girls in Tofoulty organization, as they showed great talent in their hip hop show.

The Egyptian media was present at the event, showing to all of Cairo how a simple approach can trigger social change. After the event, a Citizen Sector Organization working with girls contacted Ashoka to share its experience in using Sports for Social Change.

Get Involved

Participate as a strategic partner and design a new program using Sports for Gender Empowerment

Sponsor a sports tournament

Provide sports equipment and apparel

“Girls’ Right to Play” - Saturday 13th of March, 2010

Next year, our Sports Day will target more girls and women from the wider community in addition to the organizations with whom Ashoka fellows are working. It will also be implemented on a larger scale, involving more sports clubs and schools in the sports tournaments.

In the months preceding the event a nation-wide media campaign will be implemented, recognizing our partners and sponsors as leaders in implementing Corporate Social Responsibility programs.

See you next year!

Ashoka Arab World Team

Contact us for more information about the Sports for Gender Empowerment Initiative and about next year’s event.

Ashoka Arab World Regional Office93A Abdel Aziz Al Saud Street • 7th floor • Apt. 1

Manial • Cairo • EgyptTel: +2 02 25328586 – 23655336 – 25314775 - 25314779

Fax: +2 02 23654404Email: outreach@ashoka-arab.org

www.ashoka-arab.org