Women need more support than men - Zambian athlete

Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday October 18, 2016 16:50

Mupopo said when women nationally request for support, they do not get the attention compared to their male counterparts. She said growing up in her native country of Zambia, it was difficult to participate in sport due to the limited support that she was getting. She said her dream was to become a professional footballer, but she had to give up on the idea and focus on athletics.

“The going was tough for me hence my decision to join athletics. I was also motivated by a certain expatriate who recognised my talent,” Mupopo said.

Another speaker, the secretary general of African Women in Sports Association, Carol Garoes said women are the silent majority because of African culture.  She said it was time for governments to realise that there is need for change.

“There is need for monitoring and policies should be put in place.  Clubs and federations should be monitored to check if there have been any changes in their policies.  It is important to have policies monitoring mechanisms in place,” Garoes said.

“How many conferences have we attended and came back with the same complaints? Why do we complain more than we campaign?” she wondered.

Garoes challenged the delegates to take stock of themselves and what they have done to fill the gender gap.  She said the core mandate of the conference was to promote gender equality at all levels.

The conference was held under the theme ‘Reshaping Africa Women and Sport’. The conference was also meant to test the readiness for hosting International Working Group (IWG) Conference on Women and Sport scheduled for May 2018.