The rugby competition under the framework of the Sport for Development – ChildFund Pass It Back has recently been successfully held in Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province with the participation of nearly 1,500 juveniles.

ChildFund Pass It Back’s participants showed a change in attitudes around entrenched gender roles in players’ communities. (source: ChildFund VN)

The rugby competition is a sport event which was held during every mid-season of ChildFund Pass It Back program.

It is a meaningful activity aiming to create a quality playground and promote child’s rights to play in the area. A total 108 group-stage matches, 24 semi-finals and a final were held with the participation of 70 teams from 10 communes in Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province. The participants were children from 11 to 16 years old, with 59% were female. Life skill lessons are also a very important part of ChildFund Pass It Back besides rugby. This season, 1,000 children and young people are learning about reproductive health while 500 others are studying gender issues.

Ha Thanh Ngan, member of team DT92, shared her feeling after reaping the silver medal with her team: “I feel very happy. This is my first time participating in a competition like this, my team and I will practice harder in order to get another medal next season."

As a Sport for Development program for vulnerable children and young people, every year there are 3,200 children and young people in Hoa Binh province participating in ChildFund Pass It Back. With 8,400 hours of lessons including 2,100 lessons on life skills, the participants have been equipped with leadership skills, and gained knowledge on different topics such as gender equality, reproductive health, and anti-violence.

After the last season focusing on gender issues, ChildFund Pass It Back has achieved positive outcomes.

The participation rate between male and female is 50-50 (589 female players and 585 male players). Over 80% of surveyed male players agreed that everyone deserved equal respect in their relationships regardless of their gender, which increased by 12% compared to the survey before the start of the season. Female players recognised their own capacities and strengths to address their own problems and tackle issues that they feel are important.

Ver 80% of surveyed male players agreed that everyone deserved equal respect in their relationships regardless of their gender, which increased by 12% compared to the survey before the start of the season. (Source: ChildFund Vietnam)

60% of surveyed female players disagreed with the statement that when one has a problem, it is best to wait for a solution from somebody else.

More importantly, ChildFund Pass It Back’s participants showed a change in attitudes around entrenched gender roles in players’ communities, specifically around knowledge that while society might assign them roles based on their gender, they were not roles that they necessarily had to agree with.

About ChildFund and ChildFund Pass It Back

ChildFund is a global alliance of child-focused international development organisations which assists more than 14 million children and their families in over 60 countries. With a long-standing and trusted presence in many of the world’s poorest communities, ChildFund works in partnership with children, their families and local organisations to achieve lasting change, respond to humanitarian emergencies and promote children’s rights. ChildFund implements programs to improve education, healthcare and child protection. It also delivers programs to build the resilience of children and youth, including sport for development – most notably the highly successful ChildFund Pass It Back program.

ChildFund Vietnam is the representative office of ChildFund Australia – an independent and non-religious international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in developing communities. ChildFund began working in Vietnam in 1995 and implemented projects across the northern provinces of Bac Kan, Cao Bang and Hoa Binh, where the majority of people are from ethnic minority groups, often the most vulnerable or marginalised sections of the population.

ChildFund Pass It Back is an innovative sport for development program led by ChildFund in partnership with World Rugby, Asia Rugby and Women Win that delivers an integrated life skills and rugby curriculum for children and young people in disadvantaged communities across Asia. With a focus on gender inclusion, more than half of all players and coaches are female. The program’s objectives are to equip children and young people in Asia to overcome challenges, inspire positive social change and ‘pass it back’ to their communities. ChildFund Pass It Back is a key component of World Rugby’s Impact Beyond 2019 Programme./.

( VNF )