Sports for All

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to women's and girls' access to sport in Libya. HERA continues to commit to empowering women and tackling gender norms through their work.

Some of the challenges they have experienced have been towards challenging the societal perception on feminism and mental health.  General society is anti-feminist which makes their work difficult.However, due to their subtle methods where they use feminist methods, without declaring them feminist, they still achieve a positive change in how women and other margnialised genders are treated. This subtle methodology is extremely successful in Libya as they have not experienced negative repercussions for their work which they would if their methods were more blatant.

With the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, HERA has managed to adapt their active learning approach to ensure that all of their participants are supported. One of these areas of support has been their focus on mental health. During the pandemic, not only did vulnerable populations have fear of infection, but they had less access to essential services and mental health support. HERA focused on community building by encouraging the participants to learn to overcome obstacles together through creative group discussions. This had a major impact on the participant's engagement and mental health; by sharing their experiences, they noticed how much they have in common. The bond the participants now have shows the importance of having a feminist community to support in overcoming challenges.

The most significant change HERA has seen through their programming so far is due to these creative group discussions. Not only did the participants learn valuable life skills such as how to implement social initiatives within their community, but also the participants had a safe environment to share their deepest secrets and fears which currently affected their well-being. This relieved the heavy burdens on the participant's mental health and has encouraged HERA to commit to training and supporting their team in mental health awareness so that they may deliver more sessions on this topic.

Thank you for your continued support. HERA states that this funding has provided them with the safety and support they need to successfully implement their programmes and continue to make an impact.

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to women's and girls' access to sport in Libya. Over the past year HERA has expanded on their commitment to empower women to tackle gender norms through feminist leadership and community building. HERA's leadership values are based on honesty, respect, diversity, empathy, and commitment to achieve their vision and beliefs. HERA has focused on growing their community using these values and the contributions they receive from you.

Despite some challenges such as finding safe, indoor fields for their sessions there have been numerous successes.  Examples of these are:

• HERA has engaged 107 girls, women and non-binary participants which is an increase from the previous year.
• The participants are building better habits and breaking bad ones due to the increased focus on life skills in the programming.
• By the programmes identifying different types of sports and giving knowledge about them, the participants have also been able to identify new hobbies which enhance their lives.  

The funding has also been used to support in teaching roles and skills through camps, life skills sessions and sports trainings in volleyball, basketball and football.  The sports drills are designed by the coaches to build on the practical skills and keep the participants excited and having fun while still challenged. Yet these sports drills also help them develop critical skills such as communication, teamwork, resilience and more. The life-skills sessions also provide a safe space for the participants to share, learn, ask, and encourage each other to overcome struggles and to challenge the gender inequality they deal with in their daily lives.

Thank you for your continued support, your contributions really help to provide HERA with the means to keep implementing the impactful work they do.

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to women's and girls' access to sport in Libya. As you know, sport is a powerful tool for girls and women to challenge gender norms and stereotypes, to regain ownership of their bodies, to experience joy, freedom and rebuild their lives after trauma. Especially with COVID-19 continuing to threaten girls’ and women’s access to the benefits of sport, the need to support the work of HERA is greater than ever.

Despite the social and economic turmoil, HERA continues to provide girls and women access to a safe network and a sense of meaning and purpose. Furthermore, your contributions enable HERA to continue bringing some level of relief to Libyan girls and women.

Thank you!

Dear Supporter,

For women and girls, sport is a powerful tool to challenge gender norms and stereotypes, to regain ownership of their bodies, to experience joy, freedom and rebuild their lives after trauma. We would like to thank you for your ongoing commitment and support to HERA, and to the adolescent girls and young women in Libya participating in their programmes. 

COVID-19 continues to threaten girls’ and women’s access to the benefits of sport. In Libya, adolescent girls and young women continue to be affected in a myriad of ways, including adverse effects on their education, personal safety, bodily autonomy, health, peer support, social connections and economic prospects. 

Despite the social and economic turmoil, HERA continues to break down cultural barriers and unite girls and young women through sport, providing them with a safe network and a sense of meaning and purpose.

Your much needed support enables HERA to continue bringing some level of relief to Libyan girls and women. Thank you!

Dear Supporter,

On our previous report we described how during health pandemics such as COVID-19, adolescent girls worldwide can experience intensified inequity and violations to their human rights.

In Libya, adolescent girls and young women continue to be affected in a myriad of ways, including adverse effects on their education, personal safety, bodily autonomy, health, peer support, social connections and economic prospects. The need for your support continues to be essential in bringing some level of relief to Libyan girls and women.

Unfortunately, as is the case in many regions of the world, boys in Libya find ways to be part of outdoor activities significantly easier than girls.Your support enables HERA to continue engaging and supporting girls in their communities in different ways.

Thank you very much for your kind support and for believing in HERA's vision to break down cultural barriers and unite girls and young women through sport.