Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:29:42 +0000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2012
Lusaka– Tilabilenji Mvunga, site coordinator for Sport in Action, is representingZambia this month at the first-ever U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program in theUnited States.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and ESPN President John Skipper announced the program as a collaboration to harness the power of mentoring by connecting international emerging leaders with leading American women in sports. The goal is to build capacity and create sustainable sports opportunities for underserved women and girls worldwide.
U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Priscilla Hernandez cited Secretary Clinton’s vision as the impetus for the partnership, “As Secretary Clinton has said, empowering women and girls is not only the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do because women and girls who fully participate in and contribute to society – whether in sports, school, or the workplace – help create stronger and more stable communities.”
Hernandez added, “Ms. Mvunga’s selection asZambia’s representative stems from her work at Sport in Action.” Sport in Action is a local NGO that uses sport as a tool to reach children, youth, and people living with HIV and integrates life skills through sport. “Through her work,” Hernandez said, “Mvunga positively influences young people andZambiahas every reason to be proud as she joins 16 other women globally who have distinguished themselves as emerging leaders in sports.”
The Global Sports Mentoring Program pairs emerging women leaders with leading American sports administrators, coaches, sports journalists and sports marketing professionals. Global participants work alongside their American counterparts for one month to learn, share, and craft an action plan that helps them build capacity and create sustainable opportunities for women and girls to pursue sports in their communities around the world.
This mentoring program runs from September 5 through October 5 and represents a cornerstone of the U.S. Department of State’s broader Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative. The Initiative aims to increase the number of women and girls active in sports and builds on Secretary Clinton’s vision of “smart power” which embraces the full range of diplomatic tools – in this case mentoring and sports – to empower women and girls and to foster greater cross-cultural understanding.
CONTACT: Priscilla Hernandez
Public Affairs Officer
Phone: 357000
