IMPACT | SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CHANGE-MAKERS IN ZIMBABWE
We at delighted to update our supporters on one of equitysport's newest partners, MWC SPORT - a locally-owned, locally-run organisation committed to creating and fostering opportunities for under-served communities in Zimbabwe.
MWC Sport, Zimbabwe was founded in 2019 by Munyaradzi Gwanzura with a vision to make the world a better place through sport. Through a combination of coaching, mentoring, and community development programmes, MWC Sport works to extend opportunities in and through sport, with a particular focus on under-served and marginalised youth and women.
Senior staff members, Munyaradzi Gwanzura and Gerren Muwishi were recently granted equitysport Professional Development Grants to gain their certification as Athletics Coaches through the Harare Athletic Board. As certified coaches, MWC Sport staff will be scaling up their outreach programmes to local young people who have been structurally excluded from accessing and participating fully in sport.
All around the world, the lack of opportunity for prospective change-makers to formalise knowledge and secure relevant qualifications is a major barrier arresting the development of locally owned, locally run programmes and their capacity to seize control of the destiny of their own communities.
Too often in global sport, we are quick to celebrate paternal interventionism from the Global North, enthusiastically accepting that those without the requisite contextual understanding or lived experience of inequities are best placed to parachute in to deliver 'interventions' and plug skills-gaps in communities that sport has long left behind.
At equitysport, we reject that approach and the imperialistic narrative that precedes it. Through our work, we are committed to promoting and advancing a culture in and through global sport that is rooted in 'solidarity over saviour' and one that seeks to find commonality across borders and socioeconomic divides.
PHOTO: Gerren Muwishi (third from left) listening in on a classroom session as part of the Zimbabwe Athletics Coach Certification recently completed with the support of an equitysport Professional Development Grant.
We understand that training provisions, particularly in developing countries, are often under-financed and fragmented; and we appreciate that traditional sources of funding for individuals to access training and development is often insufficient to meet demand, or remain difficult to access for those outside of major cities.
By directly investing our support in local people, local organisations and local ideas, we are providing the initial leg up to those already doing the work on the ground to diversify sport, build capacity in forgotten corners of global sport and extend real opportunities to the marginalised, oppressed and excluded.
We, at equitysport, are also acutely aware that it is those on the ground and those with lived experience of inequality in sport who are best placed to articulate the challenges it creates in their lives; to advocate for themselves and their communities, and educate the wider global sporting community on how we can work together to bring about a fairer, more equitable ecosystem.
With that in mind, equitysport has also funded a place for MWC Sport Director, Munyaradzi Gwanzura to attend a three month course at the Zimbabwe School of Journalism so as to equip the organisation with the requisite skills to share stories that have the power to challenge prevailing narratives around inequality and inspire real change across the sporting world.
We are very excited that over the coming months we will give over our platform for MWC Sport to tell stories from their locality, the impact they are having on their community through sport and their efforts to provide opportunities to the the under-privileged and under-served in Zimbabwe.
PLEASE SUPPORT MUNYA, GERREN AND OTHERS LIKE THEM!
In March 2022, we delivered a record number of professional development grants to individuals in traditionally under-served and excluded sporting communities in the Global South, but we were massively over-subscribed, forcing us to turn down applicants who were doing vitally important work to advance equal opportunity, promote diversity and extend equal opportunities through sport.
The equitysport SQUAD is made up of individuals who have committed to address inequality in sport via a modest monthly donation, ensuring that everyone, the world over, can access and participate in sport as equals.
A monthly contribution of just £3 over the course of a year could fund an opportunity to secure training and qualifications for someone just like Munya and Gerren!
Together we can unlock the promise of the global masses and enshrine the true values of sport for generations to come, ensuring that sport remains open to all, whoever you are, wherever you come from and whatever your background.
equitysport is a values-led registered charity (1189559) that exists to advance equality, promote diversity and extend equal opportunity in and through global sport. We seek an inclusive and equitable sporting ecosystem that lives true to the values of sport. For interviews or comment from equitysport, please contact the team via hello@equitysport.org