Following the Impact of the ISC: Growing the Game for Girls Tournament Lira

 International Sport Connection has made many friends in Lira, Uganda.  This town in northern Uganda was the location of the 2012 ISC Basketball Coach Training.  It was also another location of the national youth tournament for girls and boys.  ISC Assistant Director, Lisa Berg, traveled to Lira to meet old friends and make new connections with coaches and players in the northern region. 

 

 

The communities have been displaced in this region of Uganda because of the civil conflict that occurred in the late ‘80s and 90’s.  Sport has been a way to bring the region together and reconcile feelings of the past.  The International Sport Connection has seen an opportunity to use coaches as mentors especially in these regions where there are thousands of children coming from challenging circumstances.  The International Sport Connection has now trained over 600 youth coaches who have spent time in their own communities spreading the knowledge.  Lira is a place that has seen change because of the work that the International Sport Connection has done in Uganda.

“Seeing the girls playing in bare feet and seeing community members excited about the sport of girls soccer is encouraging for the future of girls and women in sport.  There are cultural barriers in this part of the country that pressure these girls to stay home from school and not get involved in the community.  Sport can be a safe way for girls to learn self-confidence, healthy lifestyles, and it can be a way for these young girls to stay in school.”

-Coach Lisa Berg