Save the Children in Ethiopia participates in the Global Goals World Cup tournament

On March 5, 2017, Save the Children in Ethiopia took part in the Global Goals World Cup tournament, in Nairobi.  The Ethiopia country office was represented at the games through “The Lucy”, all-girls amateur football team.  A photo and poster exhibition summarizing Save the Children’s work in Ethiopia was also shown at the side event of the tournament. 

Five adolescent girls from Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali regions and Addis Ababa made up the Lucy team.  The girls were chosen from the five regions to serve as Ambassadors and champions for Save the Children Ethiopia’s Every Last Child campaign work in their respective schools, localities and regions.

The Global Goals World Cup was organized to mobilize women globally and take the different development agenda into their own hands.  24 teams from different countries and organizations participated in the games by setting a squad of 5-8 female soccer players and choosing one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to advocate for. Over the coming years, the tournament aims to build a global community of global goals’ advocates and players, who will continue the legacy of this one.

Although they were the youngest and physically small, The Lucy proved to be one of the most entertaining teams in the tournament. The audience applauded their confidence and their determination to stay in the game.

The Kenyan team “Moving the Goal Post” was eventually crowned champion of the tournament.

The girls stated that although they enjoyed the game, the most important experience was interacting with other girls from other places with similar and different experiences.

As many of the teams came from countries that have a similar challenge for  women and girls such as child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation, participants  had an opportunity to discuss these challenges and problems and share ideas on how to find solutions for them.  

Several people including the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation visited Save the Children in Ethiopia’s Campaign and Advocacy exhibition booth and learned about the vast work the country office is doing.   

Save the Children in Ethiopia is planning to host a similar Global Goals World Cup tournament during this year to mobilize supports to our Every Last Child Campaign, create more awareness, and build solidarity with a range of actors nationally and continentally.