GAME CHANGERS- BREAKING THE BARRIERS IN SPORTS

The WE Coach Nepal program was implemented by The WE United Project with funding from the U.S. Embassy in Nepal. The WE Coach Nepal project uses football as a platform to empower young women to become leaders and active participants in their local communities. The WE United Project trained twelve young women from Dhangadi, Surkhet, and Kathmandu districts as football coaches and empowered leaders. WOW featured WE United’s work on WE Coach, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 2022.

Excerpt from WOW


From the most influential women leaders to activists, athletes and more, WE United is the story of courage and bravery in striving to break the bias. The WE United Project is a non- profit organisation in Nepal which is advocating for women in sports in Nepal. Initiated in 2014 by two expats Anne McGuinnes and Amanda Cats-Baril, the WE United Project carries the mission to empower women through sports by creating equitable access and encouraging women in sports across the country. With this vision, they started the WE Coach Nepal Programme in 2018 as the first step towards increasing women’s engagement in sports. Twenty-eight female coaches have received certification and 300 girls have been impacted through this programme. The modality of the programme is intensive workshops, trainings and futsal tournaments.

WOW met with Executive Director Arpana Pradhan and Project Manager Silika Shakya to gain insight into what WE Coach Nepal is all about and to learn about its impact. Experts:


How was WE United Project started and what does it want to achieve?

Arpana: I have been associated with the organisation since its founding years. It started with a futsal tournament where I met the founders and instantly realised the lack of opportunities for women in sport.  At first, we created a Facebook page posting venues for tournaments and sessions to build our network. We communicated and bonded like a team. Hence, as an organisation we are making sports a medium to empower women and girls in Nepal through leadership training, skill development and team building through dynamic sports activities. 

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