Rugby Strong: Rural Rugby Outreach in Nonghet

More about Rugby Strong: Rural Rugby Outreach in Nonghet

This project focuses uses sport to tackle a number of key issues: Children’s right to participate in decisions that affect them; partner communities are culturally very rich, however children are expected to be seen and not heard. Sport is used to build confidence and esteem, as well as to develop social and negotiation skills. Strengthening community-based protective factors; at present there are no child protection mechanisms in place in rural Laos. Sport is used to develop an environment of peer support through the training of youth leaders who coach children in their communities and have been trained in disclosure processes.

Safe play spaces are also an important part of ensuring safety and sport provides an engaging lens to look at this important issue for youth leaders. Addressing gender exclusion; partner communities are very patriarchal and most girls participating had never played organized sport before this project. Rugby is a new, unknown sport and as such does not have any attached preconception relating to gender and participation. Other, more traditional sports, are dominated by boys, but rugby has provided a safe and productive participation space for girls and young women of which they are able to take ownership.