"Passion is a huge prerequisite to winning..."

Bwanji from Katete, Zambia!

Hope everyone is doing well.

I had the incredible opportunity to watch the NetGirls Zambia league kickoff on Saturday with ten teams playing five different games in Zone 3!  It was a highly competitive match and was extremely well attended – I have never seen so many netball fans gathered. For those that may know, netball is a hybrid between handball and basketball, and is the sport of choice for girls across Southern Africa. It often takes a backseat to football/soccer because of this, both funding and access-wise. Impact Network has been operating this league for eight years now, initially started by Amber Peterman and David Seidenfeld.

In Zambia, girls and young women often miss out on opportunities to play sports because they have responsibilities in the home and take care of younger siblings. But research shows that giving girls the opportunity to play sports has a ton of benefits, including – building leadership skills, expanding networks, breaking down gender stereotypes, providing female mentorship, and building self-esteem. Informal teams exist in rural areas, but many lack proper equipment and structure to operate in an organized way. NetGirls Zambia teams are coached by volunteers and play games on the weekend. Over the years, we have grown and expanded the program to integrate some additional programming such as financial literacy, tree planting, menstrual healthy hygiene and pad-making, and more.

We ran a smaller league during the pandemic, but this year we have 80 teams across two different leagues, covering close to 1200 girls and young women! A huge thanks to Elida Banda and Busiwa Namwila for kicking off the league in record time this year.  The passion, determination and joy of each player was evident in every moment of the games.

“Passion is a huge prerequisite to winning.” – Kerri Walsh Jennings, Beach Volleyball Player

 From what I saw on Saturday, our league is filled with winners this season!

 -Reshma