Girly’s life changed forever when she became pregnant while still in school in 2021. Girly lives in Eswatini, where a deep-rooted patriarchal culture means gender inequality and violence are sadly a part of young girl’s everyday lives. This culture of gender inequality persists because of a lack of education on these issues, causing girls to suffer. The repressive culture meant that once Girly became pregnant, she was unable to return to school, and many people, including her own family, shunned her. Girly didn’t know what to do or who to ask for help, and like many girls in Eswatini, feared her future would be ruined by one misjudgment.
SKRUM are on a mission to empower young girls across Eswatini to take control of their lives, to have a better future. Girly had been impacted by SKRUM while she was still at school and loved playing in their rugby tournaments. She learnt important lessons about health and hygiene, which are often seen as ‘taboo’ by many in Eswatini, fueling the lack of understanding on these issues. SKRUM showed Girly that girls can be independent and decide their own future, changing Girly’s outlook on life. SKRUM’s impact became even more important to her when she became pregnant and could no longer go to school. Girly wants other girls to have the same feeling of empowerment she was given by SKRUM, and so she was more than happy to help when SKRUM asked her to join the team in March 2023.
‘Girly is young and willing to learn and inspire young girls to make good, sound, and informed choices.’
Emelda, Head Coach at SKRUM
Girly is a natural leader and a great rugby player. She is an example to the girls of how they can overcome the challenges caused by the severe gender inequality, even if they make a misjudgment. Girly talks to the girls in a way they understand, and the lessons she shares are enlightening to the girls, giving them belief that they can achieve their own dreams.
Together, we can empower more girls in Eswatini to believe in a brighter future – please donate anything you can.
