Empowering Girls and Promoting Gender Equality: NatuReS supported All-Women Karate Event in Lusaka
From 28–30 November 2025, an All-Women Self-Defence Seminar and Karate Tournament took place at NASDEC Sports Complex in Lusaka under the theme “Kick like a Girl – Punch not in anger but in confidence”. Organised by Girl Kicks Foundation, the event brought together athletes, coaches, parents, government representatives and partners. It was held during the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, placing the safety of girls and women firmly at the centre of the agenda.
Girl Kicks Foundation is a Zambian non-profit that uses karate, education and life skills to empower under-resourced girls. The organisation provides a structured training environment, academic support and a safe space for around 80 girls and young women, many of whom are exposed to risks like early pregnancy, child marriage, or substance abuse in their communities. The foundation helps the girls build confidence, discipline and leadership – protective factors that reduce vulnerability to gender-based violence and expand girls’ life choices.
NatuReS engagement on gender equality and inclusion
For NatuReS in Zambia, supporting the seminar formed part of its broader work on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in stewardship partnerships. Across the programme, partnership action plans increasingly consider the needs and rights of women and marginalised groups in Just Transition processes, e.g. through their participation in decision-making, access to resources and improvements to working and living conditions. The collaboration with Girl Kicks translates these principles from boardrooms to neighbourhoods: it directly supports girls’ safety, agency and visibility in a context where GBV remains one of the most widespread human rights violations in Southern Africa.
To increase the knowledge on roles, rights and needs of women and marginalised groups in Just Transition processes, NatuReS and partners in Zambia have recently rolled out training on social inclusion and gender equality. The aim is to enable stakeholders in stewardship platforms such as the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSI) to integrate GESI in their policies, projects and monitoring frameworks. Supporting Girl Kicks extends this trajectory by recognising girls themselves as key change agents within resilient communities, not only as “beneficiaries” of interventions.
The event was also attended by Ms Chipo Mary Tembo, Gender Focal Person for GIZ Zambia, signalling alignment between grassroots initiatives like Girl Kicks and GIZ’s company-wide efforts to prevent gender-based violence, strengthen women’s participation and ensure that no one is left behind. As the final medals of the tournament were handed out, the message was clear: creating safe, empowering spaces for girls – on the tatami and beyond – is an integral part of building the inclusive, resilient societies that NatuReS and its partners strive for.
