The International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport is delighted to announce the 18 recipients of the Anita White Fund, which aims to support female leaders in sport around the world.
The Anita White Fund is a legacy of the Anita White Foundation and consists of two sets of awards - The Anita White Catalyst Grant and The Cath Sweet Award – established to honour Dr Anita White OBE and the late Cath Sweet, two leading figures in the women and sport movement who collaborated on a number of international sport development projects.
Lisa O’Keefe, Secretary General of the IWG, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to launch the Anita White Fund and to receive so many brilliant and inspiring applications from all around the world. This is the first time the IWG has offered financial support to advance gender equality, and it is fitting we can do this as part of our Pearl Anniversary celebrations.
“We received 139 applications for funding from 53 different countries which was humbling, and I know the panel had some tough decisions to make in deciding upon the recipients. I’m delighted to say the Anita White Fund will support 18 projects in 16 different countries and will undoubtedly make an impact in progressing gender equality in sport in the respective communities.
“I would like to reiterate my thanks to Anita White, Cath Sweet’s family, UK Sport and Professor Elizabeth Pike from the University of Hertfordshire for administering the awards.”
Mike Sweet said: “All the recipients of The Cath Sweet Award intend to use sport to promote social inclusion, leadership, education and mental wellbeing for women and children across low-income countries.
“Through the work Cath was involved in, we know that incredible things can be achieved from small grant programmes and the projects selected will allow the IWG to directly reach grass-roots level and help individuals make changes on the ground.”
Dr Anita White OBE said: “I’m delighted to see the Anita White Fund supporting some truly excellent projects led by female sports leaders from across the world.
"One of the things we learned from the Anita White Foundation's Catalyst Grant Programme was that a relatively small investment could enable women leaders and activists to have a big impact on the lives of women and girls in their communities.
“I would like to thank the panel for their time, efforts and diligence throughout the selection process and I look forward to following the progress of the projects.”
The Anita White Fund Recipients
Below is a list of the projects which have received funding from the Anita White Fund. More information on each project will be available to view on IWG’s social media channels over the coming weeks.
Projects Funded by The Anita White Catalyst Grant:
The Anita White Catalyst Grant has been made available to enable women who have successfully completed leadership programmes to advance the women and sport movement in their countries, regions or organisations. This fund is to honour Dr Anita White’s leadership of the international women and sport movement and her role in establishing the IWG.
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Recipient
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Country
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Project Description
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Cathy Neap and Rutha Omenefa
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Papua New Guinea
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Women’s leadership in rugby league.
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Game Mothibi
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Botswana
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Leadership workshop to empower women to take leadership roles within Women Sport Africa Network.
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Loubna Belabbes
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Morocco
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Leadership programme and development of national network for women with disabilities.
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Paida Mpaso
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Malawi
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Provision of leadership training and support to develop action plans to advance women and girls sport in the country.
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Sherry Ngueren Yongoikyo
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Nigeria
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Skill development and safe space programme to equip women leaders with knowledge and expertise to take on leadership roles.
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Sofia Papadopoulou
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Greece
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Training camp to empower and equip female coaches in sailing, including provision of key skills and networks to break into coaching opportunities.
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Memory Baluwa
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Malawi
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Leadership training and awareness campaign to raise visibility of leadership opportunities for women with disabilities.
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Memory Kahlari
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Namibia
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Leadership training and empowerment programme for women with disabilities, which seeks to increase numbers of women with disabilities in leadership positions.
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Keenese Katisenge-Tizhani*
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Botswana
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Leadership bootcamp for women with disabilities, focused on empowerment and personal development to increase representation
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Projects Funded by The Cath Sweet Award:
The Cath Sweet Award supports women who wish to deliver programmes that promote social inclusion through sport and will prioritise activities with a focus on disability. This fund is supported by UK Sport in memory of Cath and her work to use sport to deliver positive social impact around the world.
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Recipient
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Country
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Project
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Akello Dorcus
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Uganda
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Adaptive sport to engage landmine amputee survivors in small scale social enterprise.
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Caroline Wanjira
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Kenya
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Wheelchair basketball and entrepreneurship.
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Dikshita
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India
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Adapted sports (blind football, wheelchair, ultimate frisbee) to equip children with life skills.
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Divya S Karthik
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India
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Swimming and football to develop the skills of children with neurodiverse conditions.
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Houri Sadat Seyed Aghamiri
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Iran
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Table tennis to develop social inclusion for children with disabilities.
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Ingrid Uwase
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Rwanda
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Adaptive football to promote social inclusion and provide sexual health education.
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Nelly Nkatha Mutuma
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Kenya
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Table tennis session and education workshops targeting women and girls with disabilities.
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Samantha Miyanda
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Zambia
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Business training
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Touko Sandrine
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Cameroon
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Promotion of gender equality and empowerment of girls and women with disabilities through a range of sports.
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Keenese Katisenge-Tizhani*
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Botswana
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Leadership bootcamp for women with disabilities focused on empowerment and personal development to increase representation.
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*split across both funds