n Sierra Leone, girls are usually not allowed to participate in any kind of sport. We want to help change this fact. Therefore, hummel has, together with the non-profit organization Football for A New Tomorrow (FANT), created a sister-organization to FANT by the name HAND – short for Handball for A New Destiny.
We have chosen to focus on handball since handball is a relatively unknown sport in the country – and therefore not already “reserved” for boys. With HAND we have the opportunity to build the sport from scratch, and not least make it a niche where girls can more easily be allowed to participate.
HAND’s mission is to introduce the girls to the sport of handball – teach them about the rules of the game, distribute handball equipment and establish handball clubs, where the girls can meet regularly to play handball – but also to educate the girls on democratic principles and human rights.
HAND believes that women’s integration into handball can help change attitudes and give the girls an opportunity for a more independent and dignified life.
The training facilities in Sierra Leone is a big challenge and it’s HAND’s hope that they can also be part of developing better facilities for the girls.