Scholarly research on Sport for Development (SFD) had its origins in an attempt to understand the relationships between the content, processes and outcomes of SFD programmes. A review of literature found that SFD could have positive impacts on reducing the inequality faced by girls and women. It also found the need to engage much more with SFD in low income country contexts and more need to explore how exactly SFD can enhance the ability of girls to live the lives they value. This project sought to create new knowledge in relation to both of those questions that would speak both to the specific context of Somaliland and to SFD more generally. This project was exceptionally well placed because it innovatively brought together two pioneers of SFD.
The aim of the Community Sport Organisation was to raise Somaliland youth to international levels in terms of sports as well as to build the young generation mentally and physically through physical education, capacity building programmers, leadership training, peer to peer sessions and life skills programmes. In Somaliland women sports programmes are very limited and Community Sport Organisation presents a rare opportunity for girls to participate in sports.
The aim of the project was to co-produce evidence and arguments about how sport can be a means of sustainable development for girls. The project gathered the evidence and arguments in a variety of ways aimed at maximising impact. Although the Community Sport Organisation has not framed its sport for girls as explicitly SFD, there is overlap in approach. By adopting an explicit SFD approach that draws on the experience of the Community Sport Organisation, the project’s objectives included enhancing the SFD content of the organisation’s work and drawing lessons for SFD from the project.
If you’d like to know more, you can contact the project Principal Investigator here.
