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Centre for women in the pipeline

From left to right: Markus Weidner (German Football Association), Hermann Korfmacher (Football and Athletics Association of Westphalia), Ambassador Onno Hückmann (German Embassy), Barry Rukoro (Secretary General NFA), Gundolf Walaschewski (Football and Athletics Association of(Westphalia), Mr. Bernhard Kaanjuka (Director of Sports Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture) and Dr. Fridrich von Kenne (GIZ). (Photograph by Musa Carter)

From left to right: Markus Weidner (German Football Association), Hermann Korfmacher (Football and Athletics Association of Westphalia), Ambassador Onno Hückmann (German Embassy), Barry Rukoro (Secretary General NFA), Gundolf Walaschewski (Football and Athletics Association of(Westphalia), Mr. Bernhard Kaanjuka (Director of Sports Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture) and Dr. Fridrich von Kenne (GIZ). (Photograph by Musa Carter)

The German Embassy in Windhoek this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aimed at the empowerment and promotion of young women in and through sports by pledging to build a centre.
German Ambassador, Onno Hückmann said,“The planned activities are focusing in particular on the implementation of a ‘Life Skills Programme’. Closely connected to this programme, a sport and community centre for girls and young women will be built with the aim to create safe spaces.”
The cooperation of the five partner organizations at the signing included the German Football Association (DFB), the German development agency‚Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH‘ (GIZ) and the Football and Athletics Association of Westphalia (FLVW) and the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture and the Namibian Football Association (NFA).
The Ambassador said,“We want to target girls in particular, because sport is often one of the few protected spaces that they can claim for free personal development. Women’s football in particular is helping to change hidebound role models and give girls and women more self-confidence.”

In addition, Namibia will be hosting the Women’s African Cup of Nations in October 2014.  Hückmann stressed that “the linkage of the programme in that framework is useful so that further activities are planned. Thus the NFA women’s football and in particular the women’s national team especially known as Brave Gladiators, are given an important role. Moreover, further large sporting events around the hosting of the Women’s African Cup of Nations can be used to establish  development aims within society.”

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