“Sports provide children of all ages, boys and girls, with opportunities to
express themselves, to contribute their opinions, and to become agents for
change,” UN Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Ameerah Haq stated
following the match, held at the Ministry of Defence Sports Field.
“Today’s competition marks a milestone for young girls in Afghanistan, who
just five years ago were not even allowed to attend school, let alone play
sports,” she said. “Hopefully, their participation in events such as this one
will inspire young girls to pursue their dreams, in whatever fields interest
them.”
Kabul boasts 15 girls’ football teams, consisting of young women from the
ages of 13 to 20. The winners of today’s match will go on to face the winners of
other regional competitions in the finals, under the auspices of the Afghanistan
Football Federation.
All of the participants in today’s competition were presented with footballs
made especially for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) by disabled Afghans and paid for
from staff donations. Over 1,000 footballs will be delivered to schools,
orphanages and prisons across Afghanistan. ___________________________________________________________________
3 August 2006 –
A senior United Nations official today presented a trophy to the winners of
the first-ever Kabul Girls Football Competition, a milestone event for young
women in Afghanistan, where their rights were severely curtailed under the
ousted Taliban regime, and voiced hope that sports would inspire them to pursue
all of their dreams.
Kabul girls
football