"If a country's goal is to ensure families, communities, and societies fully develop, investing in adolescent girls and elevating the social status of women and girls, should be that country's most important priority." ~ Mpanda&Suedi, CSI Founders, May 2022.
Meet CSI's first girls' soccer team: Masala Princess (Tanzania)
Girl Talk, Girl Power: Sports for Girls
Childbirth Survival International (CSI)'s Girl Talk, Girl Power program first launched in 2014 at Unambwe High School in the Arusha area, Tanzania impacting at least 200 adolescent girls, 12-19 years of age. Since 2014, CSI's Girl Talk, Girl Power program has impacted more than 20,000 adolescent girls in four countries: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Somalia.
COVID-19 pandemic created opportunities for CSI to broaden adolescent girls' talents and abilities beyond the classroom plus to create a positive and supportive environment for girls to safely thrive in. In collaboration with long-term partner, Jakaya Kikwete Youth Park, during COVID-19 pandemic, CSI Tanzania continued to support adolescent girls with feminine hygiene products, counseling services, connect girls to community resources, and facilitate Girl Talk, Girl Power sessions. In spring 2022, CSI Tanzania introduced Masala Princess girls' soccer team and currently has 30 female players on the roster who are changing the sports narrative for girls and youth in Tanzania.
CSI's diverse efforts to empower the girl child and elevate the social status of women and girls are contributing to local and national efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions, gender inequities, maternal and infant deaths, gender-based violence, and intergenerational poverty. CSI Tanzania's Masala Princess team is supported by generous individuals and businesses, with our primary sponsor being Abec Company Limited. CSI's comprehensive approach in addressing key issues and challenges contributing to the poor health and status of women and girls, aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda.
