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Local NGO raises voice of female athletes in Kingdom

By Tom Grant - Feb 28,2022 - Last updated at Feb 28,2022

Girls from the Mafraq Governorate gather round their coach before a game of football (Photo courtesy of Toward A Better Tomorrow – NAGAT)

AMMAN — The non-governmental organisation “Toward a Better Tomorrow for Development and Empowerment – NAGAT” released a video highlighting women’s involvement in sports in the Kingdom to further empower them and increase their participation.  

The organisation, which was founded in 2019, has a vision for a “society where all women and girls can thrive in safe spaces”, according to their website.

The video was released on their social media channels and has received over 28.6K views on Facebook, and over 940 views on Instagram.

It follows the stories of several girls and women from Jordan who are involved in sports, whether at the local or international level.

The interviewees, who are from Amman and Mafraq, touched on the struggles they have faced as women in sport in Jordan, including lack of representation, lack of facilities or transportation or sometimes lack of support from family members.

Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator and Project Director at NAGAT Sara Adel told The Jordan Times how the video was “the best way to deliver ideas and messages and highlight the achievements of women’s sports in Jordan”.

Adel noted that they started planning last October and filming at the end of December. They were able to complete the project in less than two weeks, she added. 

“We communicated with female football and volleyball players and with a female fencing player, in addition to a training academy in Mafraq,” Adel said. 

She added that they focused “on the role of female athletes in motivating girls and women in winning championships at the local, Arab and international levels”.

Volunteer and narrator of the video Blanche Lloret Linares, who translated the opening message from Arabic into English, said that she “really enjoyed working on this project because it made me realise how important sports are for girls in Jordan and around the world”.

“I think it’s so important that their voices are heard as well as their passions,” she said.

Youth Olympics competitor and Jordanian National Fencer Balqis Qudah told The Jordan Times that women should participate more in sports, as it can have a very positive impact. 

“I felt that by sharing my story, I can hopefully inspire girls to play in sports, and I’m glad I did [participate in the video],” she added.

Qudah also highlighted the praise the video has received since its release, saying “what made me even happier was when viewers told me that they are proud of me”.

She also took time to thank the coaches at the Jordanian Fencing Federation and her family for the support she has received throughout her career.

Adel noted that the organisation will soon publish a video on a different topic, as well as implement more activities and projects for girls that can increase their participation. 

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