BOXGIRLS EASTLANDS ORGANIZATION 2010:
SCHOOL OUTREACH/PHYSICAL EDUCATION


BOXGIRLS Eastlands Organization marked its year of 2009 with a success achieving most of its objectives and realizing its strength and weaknesses. Boxgirls uses boxing as a tool used to tackle different issues that are affecting women and young girls in the society and the community at large. BOXGIRLS Eastlands works together with all the team members and its stakeholders in the community in building something positive. Team work and leadership role distribution has been one of the effective tool that has enabled BOXGIRLS use boxing as a tool to bring change despite boxing being viewed as a sport of violence within the community .


REPORT:-
BOXGIRLS Eastlands has been focusing on the young women and girls within Eastlands. The programme provides them with self-defense skills and sensitizing them with positive information in building their courage in what they do through peer education talks. BOXGIRLS Eastlands after-school programme accommodates young girls age 12 ? 16 years who participate in self-defense training in the evening hours after school .Boxgirls after school training accommodates more than 165 young girls from different zones within Eastlands. This zones include ,Kibera ,Kariobangi zone A ,B & C, Kayole ,Huruma ,Mbotela. The young girls in the programme are being trained by their coaches. The Coaches are under the supervisory role of the head coach who sees into the zones daily training and submits any inquiries of the coaches to the administration .In the zones, each coach has appointed a captain that helps in attendance recording of the young girls daily training.

BOXGIRLS Eastlands has set its year 2010 activity plan layout to help them in meeting its objective of the year. In January 2010 the calendar marks the School Outreach /Physical. Education .In this month BOXGIRLS set out a plan of implementing the way forward to start involving young girls from schools to participate in the activity.

The procedures carried out included:

Having official meetings with the Chairman of informal schools
The administration carried out visit to the Chairman of the informal schools to share out the interest in linking with schools .The chairman?s role was to introduce us to schools and thereafter Boxgirls administration have  a further meeting discussions with the school principals /heads .The meetings therefore with the heads of schools was to  find out from them if the activity is worthy being practiced in their school. Box girls Administration was able to have a previsit within seven schools. Out of the seven schools four could not meet our school outreach requirement. The four schools had children /young girls below age of 11yrs .The seven schools included: Chitegemee ,Bestan ,Rehema Centre ,Jambo Toto ,Grogan ,TBA ,Reboah .

Peer Educator organizing the coaches
The peer Educator therefore coordinates the coaches with a sub topic that
they will be using in facilitating the discussions during the school visits. The sessions of peer education normally is used to blend with the boxing activity that will be carried out during the day .The peer educator also organize questionnaires that will be used during the discussions.

Head Coach and Coaches
The coaches and the head coach coordinates together in practicing some boxing skills that will be used during the school outreach. They prepare themselves in order to give the best.

After the above procedures were worked on and implemented, BOXGIRLS was able to have a school outreach. The BOXGIRLS?s teams were able to present themselves in three schools and provide basic self-defense skills and peer education sessions.

These schools included:
Grogan School
Jambo Toto
Rehema Centre

The above schools have young girls of age 12 ? 16 years. BOXGIRLS team were able to have different sessions with the young girls from the three school. Each person in the team had a part to play in the sessions. A total number of 100 young girls had the opportunity to interact with the BOXGIRLS team and participate in the sessions .Rehema Centre had 53 girls, Jambo Toto 25 girls and Grogan had 22 young girls.

The day session guideline for each school was as follows:
BOXGIRLS team introduction to the school management/administration
BOXGIRLS introduction to the young girls: young girls were able to know who BOXGIRLS are and what BOXGIRLS is. .They were also able to introduce themselves to the BOXGIRLS team.
Peer education session
Boxing exhibition
Feedback moment: giving the platform for young girls to ask questions and receive answers from the whole team


The BOXGIRLS team members got the opportunity to encourage ,educate and advice the young girls. They were advised to be strong, confident and physical fit women in all they do .
Damaris Achand, Kariobangi Zone Coach, quoted: ?You as girls need to be strong, don?t underestimate yourself, but work for what you want to achieve.? The gaze in their eyes after Damaris quote enlightened the girls and they were happy and grateful. This indication was out because most of these girls are born in slums and all their life rotates around the slums. The team members called them out to stand to be the women who will change their situation by starting to work hard in school and working together. The girls were happy to have boxing initiated in the school.

Carol, 12 years old from Grogan school said: ? I would like to be like you ? to be strong and confident when I speak. And I?m happy that I will be doing boxing in my school .? Most of the young girls were very thrilled. Most of them wanted to know the power behind the boxing gloves and having a punch. Most of them thought all about boxing is fighting, but they were amazed as some of the team members explained.

Elizabeth Adhiambo, Head Coach, quote: ?Its not fighting, but fighting out the issues that makes our self-esteem to go low! I was not confident but in boxing I?ve gained confidence .I learnt to grow and think positively and that?s what I want to see in you. I want one day, one of you to replace me as one of the best amateur in Kenya.?

The girls were not the only ones training on how to throw a punch and position themselves in boxing styles. Their female teachers also took part in the boxing exhibition. The peer talk was based on the girl child building the life of the other girl child. It was termed in a Swahili slogan ?NIJENGE NIKUJEGE? ? ?Build me, I build you?. The young girls were encouraged, to try build the other girls and be the keeper of their life to a positive growth. This was one way of strengthening team work with the girls and also letting them grow positively together.


Significance of School Outreach /P.Education:-

Good link up with the school and the girls
Opening avenue created for BOXGIRLS coaches to involve the school girls in the boxing training within the school.
BOXGIRLS team getting an opportunity to advertise their programme  to schools
BOXGIRLS coaches getting a platform to express themselves and learn from the young girls.




CONCLUSION
The link up with the schools in the slum regions is giving BOXGIRLS an opportunity to bring a positive impact in the lives of young girls that are targeted to negativity of the society. Involvement with the schools will also create a platform for a good link up with parents and teachers of the school. This will help in facilitation of community project since they will be much involved.