Creating a glittering example of overcoming huge odds and making a mark on the international scene, the Yuwa girls team have made heads turn in India. Backed by Yuwa-India, an NGO working with young girls to give them a chance to make a mark for themselves in society, this team has made millions proud.
Yuwa-India empowers rural youth through scholarship, leadership and teamwork, and brought together seven teams of 95 young women from villages in Jharkhand, six of which were brand new.
Yuwa formed three of these clubs from scratch – Adivasi Club-Hutup: Suman, one of our eight scholarship students, age 11, got a team of 12 together after telling me she was into football; Karma Village Girls Club from a group of women weavers; and Shalini Hospitals nurse trainees. Willem from The Netherlands trained another three from his anti-trafficking NGO. Only one, Sahiya Club of Rukka Village, existed previously.
Here’s a look at Yuwa-India’s journey:
