The National Organisation for Women in Sport Physical Activity and Recreation (NOWSPAR) is a Zambian Non-Governmental Organisation established in 2006. NOWSPAR is a membership organization comprised of women and men who believe that sport, physical activity and recreation have the power to foster social change and increase an individual’s quality of life. NOWSPAR advocates, educates, and increases participation of women and girls in sport. NOWSPAR believes that all people should have equal access to information, education and healthy lifestyle choices. NOWSPAR aims to encourage and promote engagement of women and girls in all areas, levels and abilities of physical activity, sport and recreation for fun and excellence.

Our overall goal is that ‘women and girls have access in all areas, levels and abilities in sport, physical activity, and recreation for fun and excellence‘. We advocate, educate, and increase participation of women and girls in sport.

Since establishment, we have received support from different funders to implement different projects. We are currently carrying out the following projects:

Every Body Matters: The aim is to facilitate structural change and capacity to transform gender relations and practices among sport civil society and government to enhance women and girls rights to sport.
Play Free: This is mainly focused on policy engagement among key stakeholders with the intended impact being increased participation of children and protection from harm.

Goal:
The aim of this program is to empower adolescent girls between the ages of 12 to 20 years through leadership skill building and financial literacy as one step in their process of economic empowerment.
The Youth Sports Exchange Program (YSEP): Through this people-to-people exchange, this program gives youths involved in sports from different parts of the world an opportunity to learn, exchange and develop positive attitudes, new skills and a deeper understanding of African and Norwegian cultures in a way formal education is unable to do.

SPORT FOR TOMORROW: an initiative of the Japanese government to promote sports to more than 10 million people in 100 nations between 2014 and 2020, the year when Tokyo will host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The goal is to spread values learned through s ports and increase awareness of the Olympic and Paralympic movement to people of all generations worldwide.
Sheroes dream big project: to equip young women with employability skills using sport. It is will address the social-cultural issues that prevent women from reaching their full potential and limits their involvement in sports.

Aim:
Our aim is to encourage and promote engagement of women and girls in all areas, levels and abilities in physical activity, sport and recreation for fun and excellence.

We promote women’s rights to and through sport.

Our Objectives
To equip the young women and girls with employability skills
To equip the young women and girls with leaderships and to become leaders in their own communities.
To provide opportunity for young women to become economically independent
To establish a self-sustaining organization in which the network is always building to include more communities, organizations, and interactions between countries.
To advocate for women and girls’ representation, participation, and leadership in sport, physical activity, and recreation.
To educate and create awareness of the benefits of women and girls participation in sport, physical activity and recreation.
To conduct research regarding gender equity, women and girl’s leadership development, sports administration, opportunities and barriers to women and girls participation in sport, physical activity and recreation.
To increase opportunities for participation of women and girls in sport, physical activity and recreation both in schools and communities.

ACTIVITIES
Advocacy and civic education
Education & awareness
Research
Capacity building
Events and festivals
Networking
Mentoring
Skills development

FOCUS
Equitable access to sport for women
Access to gender sensitive equipment and facilities
Promoting women’s livelihood through sport
Prevention of gender based violence and abuse
Enviromental conservation and sensitivity
Promoting sport for development approach

TARGET
Women and Girls in Communities, Sports Association, Social and Recreation Clubs and Schools.

NOWSPAR was formally registered in 2006 following several years of organising women and men to draw attention to the much needed action on gender issues in sport.

Led by the late Matilda Mwaba (1957-2021), the founding of NOWSPAR happened in the wake of the wave of the women’s movements mobilising in Zambia, across the continent and internationally energised by the Beijing World Conference on Women and Platform of Action in 1995 and the IWG World Conference of Women and Sport in 1998 in Namibia.

Our founder Ms Matilda Mwaba (Judo) convened a group to pioneer the formation and work of NOWSPAR. They worked together to develop a network of women and men and to institutionalise the work to address gender inequalities in sport that result in women’s marginalisation. After several attempts, NOWSPAR was formally registered as a non-governmental organisation in 2006.

The team during the early years of formation of NOWSPAR included among others: Ms. Mutinta Mweembe – Physical Education, Mr. David Kailo – Judo, Ms. Sylvia Chalikosa – Motorsport, Ms. Maria Malunga – Church Community, Ms. Carol Chiyassa – Judo, Ms. Lombe Mwambwa – Kalusha Foundation among others.

PROJECTS
EVERY BODY MATTERS
Every Body Matters Aims to facilitate structural change and capacity to transform gender relations and practices among sport civil society, government to enhance women and girls rights

The Goal is to strengthening the sports sector to deliver for girls and women.

GOAL
Goal is Building Girls leadership in Zambia aimed to empower adolescent girls aged 12-20 through leadership skill building, Reproductive health, human rights and financial literacy using sports and physical activities as one step in the process of economic empowerment. NOWSPAR has been implementing the program since 2014, reaching over 2500 Adolescent girls each year through life skills and sports sessions in five provinces.

YOUTH SPORT EXCHANGE PROGRAM
The Youth Sports Exchange Program (YSEP) Through this people to people exchange, this program gives youths involved in sports from different parts of the world an opportunity to learn, exchange and develop positive attitudes, new skills and a deeper understanding of African and Norwegian cultures in a way formal education is unable to.

PREMIER SKILLS
Premier Skills Project an international partnership between the British council and premier League using football to develop a brighter future for young people around the world. Premier Skills provides an opportunity for coaches, referees and players to become better integrated into their local communities to develop their skills for employ-ability and raise their self esteem. Premier skills currrently runs in 19 countries in Across the world. NOWSPAR has trained 150 coaches between 2016-2018 through this program

PLAY IT FORWARD
Play it Forward PIF uses a holsic apporach to transform the lives of adolecent girls and young women Building on the existing Goal Program. PIF creates pathways to economic empowerment for alumnae, while building organisational capacities to stimulate a more girl friendly sport sector. PIF targets 1,200 Adolecent Girls between the ages of 10-19 who attend government schools participation in Goal Program and activities including sport, life skill education and leadership. PIF also targets 150 young women/ Alumnae aged between 18 and 25 to participate in an internationally Economic Empowerment (EE) project.

Play Free mainly focuses on the engagement of with the intended impact being reduction in athlete practitioner vulnerability to sport based Gender Based Violence (GBV) within sports institutions in Zambia

Sheroes
December 16, 2018
The Sheroes dream big project aims to equip young women with employability skills using sport. It is will address the social-cultural issues...

Goal
December 16, 2018
Goal is a girls’ empowerment programme that uses sport to teach Life-Skills for a period of 9 months. The programme also aims....

MATILDA MWABA MEDIA AWARD

NOWSPAR has partnered with MISA Zambia to deliver an award at the MISA Annual Media Awards for 2021 that recognises contribution to equity within sports in Zambia. The Matilda Mwaba Equity in Sport Award is presented in honour of Ms Matilda Mwaba co-founder of NOWSPAR and advocate for equity in sport. Read more here.

MATILDA MWABA SPORTS EDUCATION FUND

The Matilda Mwaba Sports Education Fund is focused on providing scholarships for a diversity of education opportunities for girls and women in sport. Scholarships are provided through NOWSPAR or directly by other institutions. Read about it here.

MATILDA MWABA ANNUAL LECTURE
The lecture is conducted to raise awareness on issues of women and sport. The lectures are on topics related to sport. Speakers may address issues such as performance, sport management, physical activity, physical education, policy, history, research, and legislation among other subjects.

The annual event includes a main lecture by a speaker and a panel discussion, with engagement from audience members. The event also has a networking reception element to promote interaction among guests drawn from the sports sector and beyond.

The Matilda Mwaba Lecture is an annual event hosted by NOWSPAR to celebrate the life and work in sport of Matilda Mwaba (1957-2021). Matilda Mwaba made significant contributions to sport and gender advocacy in Zambia, Africa, and globally for several decades.