The African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 has joined hands with The Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA) in hosting an inaugural Women Leadership Train the Trainers seminar to be held at Holiday Inn O.R. Rambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa from 22 to 23 March 2019.  The seminar will be run under the theme, “Empower one, Empower multitudes!”  The objective of WLP is to increasing the number of women occupying leadership positions in the Region from the current 20% to 40% by 2028.

The seminar, meant to empower women and prepare them to assume leadership positions in Sport, will equip women through Sport For All and mentorship in order to refine and sharpen women leaders’ skills and capacity to lead organisations.   The seminar is one of several collaborative efforts between AUSC Region 5 and TAFISA, a leading international Sport for All and physical activity umbrella organization, with over 300 members from more than 160 countries. TAFISA is officially recognized by UNESCO from whom funding to conduct the seminar was sourced

The partnership between AUSC Region 5 and TAFISA is set to yield a Women Leadership Programme (WLP) which is a mentorship programme for women  meant to use gender sensitive Sport for to train a new generation of young women in leadership. The Train the Trainer seminar draws twenty participants (two women from each of the AUSC Region 5 Member Countries which are Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia. South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe).  These trainers will be expected to train and facilitate mentorship of twenty young women leaders between;the ages of 18 and 35 in each of their respective countries translating to a total of two hundred (200) women trained every year.  The multiplier effect of this programme aims to train and mentor a total of 2000 women leaders between 2019 and 2028, who will lead Sport for All and Gender mainstreaming mentorship programmes in their own countries together helping to build a network of women leaders in sport in the Region.

Each member country has been requested to identify 2 competent women trainers who will join the “Women Leadership Mentorship through Sport for All” Mentorship programme.  The selected women will become custodians of the Women Leadership Programme to train other women in their own country, multiplying the training effect in the whole Region. The participants were carefully selected in consultation with sport authorities in each country to be coordinators of the programme and to help  improve young women leaders’ technical leadership capabilities.

AUSC Region 5 CEO Stanley Mutoya said: “The smart partnership with a Global giant like TAFISA serves to endorse the credibility and trajectory of the AUSC Region 5 in the area of sports development and investment in human capital, specifically in physical activity and women empowerment.  A healthy lifestyle among the 177 million citizens of this Region easily translates to socio-economic dividends which contributes immensely towards upliftment of the standard of living within all the participating Member Countries. ”

TAFISA Secretary General Wolfgang Baumann noted: “Alliances are needed to counteract the negative effects of the epidemic of physical inactivity.   We are proud to partner up with the leading regional authority in the field to achieve the objectives set by TAFISA’s Mission 2030 and make a positive difference in the lives of citizens.  We strongly believe that by joining efforts and the experiences of the ten countries we can build a better world through Sport for All.”

During the Workshop, TAFISA’s partner Nassau will announce a donation of sports equipment to support the Sport For All programme in the AUSC Region 5.  TAFISA and AUSC Region 5 are open to contributions and mutually beneficial partnerships that serve to advance the Sport For All and Women Empowerment cause.  For more information, interested individuals, groups and organisations are free to contact Ms. Tsholofelo Maduma at tsholofelo@auscregion5.org.bw

TAFISA (The Association For International Sport for All) is the leading international Sport for All organisation, bringing joy, health, social interactions, integration and development to communities and citizens around the world through the promotion of Sport for All and physical activity.  TAFISA has over 300 member organizations in more than 170 countries on all continents, and actively cooperates with other global change-makers, including the UN, UNESCO, the IOC, ICSSPE and others, in their mission to achieve a better world through Sport for All.  More information on TAFISA’s website: www.tafisa.org