Promoting inclusion for visually impaired women

September Activity Report 2021

Fucho para Ciegos Puebla AC.

The GlobalGiving project directed to Topos Femenil FC “Topas”, intends to strengthen the experience of the women’s team, through the internal connection between female players and volunteers with the practice of adapted football-5; and the realization of extra-court dynamics to encourage greater participation and accompaniment among women.

1. Face-to-face and online trainings have been carried out, with collective learning processes lead up by Mariana, who is the team’s coordinator since past July.

2. On Thursdays we have taking advantage from zoom platform and digital media to set up meetings where we share many things besides football, this adds up so they have the opportunity to meet each other.

3. The relationship during face-to-face training with the male team has been strengthened, to provide collaborative learning spaces between both teams.

4. After the activities performed on the court, we generate connivance spaces opening up the exchange of ideas not only around the adapted football practice, but also about sharing experiences as visually impaired women, all the situations they face everyday on their daily context, and their taste for adapted football.

5. We are working on an active participation from the women’s team to brainstorm the activities, we potentially could implement to the project La Madriguera, the football field owned by the Topos community.

6. New spaces for dissemination are being generated through social networks to motivate more girls to be part of the Topos Femenil experience, with interviews and spaces for dialogue, with the intention of growing the group.

What’s next?

Due the pandemic we are living at the moment, two projects we were working on are temporarily paused.
-The first consists of holding a virtual forum to reflect among all of us, about the presence of women in sports, soccer for people with blindness and visual impairment.
 -In a second moment, we seek to create a gathering space in the city of Puebla, between women with and without visual impairment, who are interested in promoting soccer for women with blindness and low vision in Mexico.

Testimonial:

• “We are not alone, we are keeping each other company, after the pandemic we have brought closer together”
• “It is complicated to assist to the court, because it is far. So we organize, to arrive, some pick up others, some of us go together”
• “All of us need each other to continue growing, because there is no point on training by yourself, alone in your world, at the moment of team training we are not going to understand each other the same way”
• “On the court we are one”.

Links:

• Official website of "Fucho para Ciegos Puebla AC".