N/R: Soccer clinic closes with chiefs, et al pledging to end child marriage

After two weeks of sporting activities, female football teams from 14 schools in eight communities in the Northern Region have pledged to be ambassadors of World Vision’s End Child Marriage Now Programme. The sporting event had in attendance chiefs, assembly members, school children, and parents, who also committed to end child marriage in the Savelugu Municipality, the Nantong and West Gonja Districts. The maiden soccer clinic supported by World Vision under its Child Parliament Programme mobilized stakeholders who watched the girls exhibited their hidden talents in sports; they were also educated on dangers associated with child marriage. The project started with a training session at the school park of the Pong Tamale Experimental Junior High School where the girls had the opportunity to train with Samira Alhassan, a member of the national women team, the Black Queens. “I am a northerner and often what I hear is that, here in the region, girls are married off earlier than usual and it disturbs me that’s why I accepted the offer to come home, train and challenge these girls to rise against any form of early marriage,” Samira stated. The Manager for Savelugu Cluster, Word Vision, Francis Kumah observed that the level of child marriage in the Savelugu-Nantong Municipality stood at 39% followed by West Gonja which hovers around 13%, a disturbing figure, which he said necessitated the soccer clinic. “Soccer because it is the passion of Ghana because it takes only soccer to bring people from all walks of life, it allows for the mobilization of people and this project has witnessed massive turn out by Chiefs, faith leaders, and parents with most of them, especially the faith leaders, giving out the hands of these girls to marriages pledging never to do so”. After all 14 schools have had their turn playing against each other in the opening, quarter finals, and semi finals, the day for the final game beckoned. The finals game which was played on a neutral ground in Daire saw the Pong Tamale Experimental side beating their the Nantong Kurugu team by a four goal to nil, lifting the trophy with other souvenirs from World Vision. By Zubaida Ismail |3news.com|Ghana]]>