We pull up to the side of the road and wait. The jeep windows are thick with mud, but the splatters don’t impede my view of the street passing by. School just got out and children in bright green and khaki uniforms parade by us pushing bikes, eating chips, holding hands. Some older students pause to stare. I pretend not to notice but I don’t blame them, our jeep of white foreigners is an unusual sight in Hesatu, a village located deep in the Indian state of Jharkhand, A place known for its tribal areas, mineral deposits and for being one of India’s least developed states, Jharkhand doesn’t get many tourists.
A girl with thick braided pigtails and a bright smile walks up. She greets our friend Franz, known to her as coach, hands off her bike to a young boy and piles into the back of the jeep. Shortly after, two more girls clamber into the back and we take off towards the Yuwa campus
Yuwa is a non-profit organization that uses football (soccer) as a platform to combat child marriage and human trafficking in India. It uses football to bring rural village girls, who would otherwise remain isolated, into a positive team environment where they can gain confidence, self-expression and self-improvement. In a place where 6 out of 10 women can’t read or write, an estimated 100,000 girls are trafficked each year, and 55.7% of the females experience child marriage, Yuwa works to get girls back into school, provide them with a safe place to play and grow, all while empowering them to take their future into their owns . Founded in 2009 by Franz Gastler, Yuwa is the placement of Kayalyn, the other AIF Clinton Fellow placed in Jharkhand and the place of my weekend escape.
We arrive to Yuwa to a gaggle of girls wearing matching green uniforms. It’s Saturday, their day off but they are eager to be there (Saturday is a staff-imposed day off, if the girls had it their way they’d have practice every day! The girls spend an average of 3 hours a day, 6 days a week at Yuwa programs). Today’s match is against IIM Ranchi, a nearby University. The male master’s students at IIM Ranchi had just finished their own soccer tournament and the winning team challenged the now nationally famous Yuwa girls to a match. Rather than bat an eye at the age, size or gender difference of their opponents, the girls, aged 13-16, cheer for it, excited for the challenge.
Challenge isn’t something new to Yuwa girls, both on the field and off the field. Athletically, they have traveled to the US and to Spain to compete, frequently taking on opponents twice their size and age. Personally, these girls face much larger challenges at home and in society. In a village where girls are expected to fit a particular cultural and social mode, these girls are directly challenging popular conventions. They are taking on roles of leadership, playing sports, wearing shorts, being strong. Family and neighbors often try to pressure them to stop. Some have been abused, others have been kidnapped, all of them have sacrificed to come to Yuwa to study and play. They wake up at 5 AM to do an hour of chores before walking to Yuwa for a 6:30AM English, Math or Science class. After class, they head to their government school, a place where many are being swept into a system cavalier to their skill development, pushing them forward without ensuring achievement. Without Yuwa intervention, some girls would be graduating 10th grade practically illiterate, barely able to read basic Hindi. When school ends, the girls return to Yuwa for football practice and training. They name their own teams and challenge one another. The night ends and they head home to more chores and homework. These girls are tough and determined, ready to work for the hope of a stronger future.
We pull up to the IIM Ranchi field: It was a small and dusty turf, but as the girls took on the Master’s students it became the holding ground of something strong and mighty. While the teams played, two small girls wandered over to the players’ side and silently sat behind the Yuwa team. Someone turned to talk to them, and the girls said they had come from Ranchi, Jharkhand’s capitol; they had seen the Yuwa girls on TV and wanted to see them in person.
With every practice, match, and challenge overcome, these village girls are challenging deeply rooted ideas of who or what a girl must be, fighting for the chance to have the opportunity and ability to instead discover for themselves who they are and who they can be. The best part is that they giggle, smile and dance the entire way through: pure girls, mighty, strong and passionate.
As I watched them play, I realized I had stumbled upon an army of small but mighty heroes, tucked away in a place of the world many would never see, fighting passionately for a future many don’t expect them to see. Visit them here, and see them for yourself: http://www.yuwa-india.org
Oh, and for the record, the girls took the victory, winning 9-5.
