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NATSIRAISHE Maritsa, an 18-year-old taekwondo trainer from Zimbabwe, was recently recognised for her selfless efforts to use taekwondo to empower young girls in her community, as she was awarded the 2021 Winner for Africa at the International Olympic Committee Women and Sport Awards in Beijing, China.
Delivered every year at continental and world level, the awards recognise exceptional men, women and organisations for their work in advancing gender equality on and off the field of play.
President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, initiated this award consideration together with the Chair of the IOC Women in Sport Commission, Lydia Nsekera, and Tommy Sithole, the Honorary Life President of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and former secretary-general of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).
The award used to carry a US$50 000 “prize” awarded to each winner to apply to their projects.
And Maritsa, who hails from the dormitory town of Epworth in south-eastern Harare, was awarded the African honour in recognition of a project which seeks to use taekwondo to raise awareness to hazards associated with child marriage, a particular issue in Zimbabwe.
The 18-year-old was nominated for the IOC honour by World Taekwondo who, like so many around the world, were inspired by her actions.
“Natsiraishe thoroughly deserves this award in recognition of the crucial work she is doing in supporting young women in her community,” World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said.
“Her determination to reduce inequalities through sport and raise awareness through the global media has also helped these vulnerable women and girls to attend school and receive quality education.
“It is truly inspirational to witness her contributions to the sustainable development goals and Olympic Agenda.”
World Taekwondo has collaborated with the Zimbabwe Taekwondo Association and Korean Taekwondo Promotion Foundation to offer the initiative supplies, and has vowed to continue supporting it.
The project combines taekwondo lessons with discussions about the risks of early marriage, designed to create a safe environment for girls to discuss topics including pregnancy, gender-based violence and harassment.
Maritsa said: “Taekwondo tenets empowered me to fight for (awareness of) child marriages and had positive results to people who I impacted the Taekwondo tenets to. With taekwondo we are indeed champions of freedom, justice and peace.”
According to Girls Not Brides, which campaigns for an end to child marriages, about 34% of girls in Zimbabwe are married before they are 18 years while 5% are married before they are 15.
Maritsa drew global attention in 2021 as the story spread of how she was fighting child marriage in Zimbabwe through a combination of Taekwondo and discussions about the dangers of early marriage.
Maritsa founded the Vulnerable Underaged People’s Auditorium Initiative in 2018 and teaches young girls taekwondo to instil self-confidence and create a safe space where they can share concerns and experiences and discuss issues such as child pregnancy and gender-based violence and harassment.
Maritsa’s Underaged People’s Auditorium seek to stop more children becoming brides, through a combination of taekwondo and discussions about the dangers of early marriage.
With scant resources, the organisation has helped raise awareness of the dangers of child marriage for 40 teenage mothers and young women.
Driven by her desire to see an end to early marriages, Maritsa has used the Covid-19 lockdown to engage parents.
She has vowed to use her influence in taekwondo to further the campaign. In 2019 she won two gold medals at the Epworth Junior Cadet Championships and a silver medal at the Korean Ambassador trophy.
“A lot of people look down on Epworth, but I would like the world to know that something big can come out of a despised place,” Maritsa says.
Having started taekwondo at the age of five, Maritsa has inspired her 10-year-old sister to take up the sport with the help of their father — a taekwondo and fitness enthusiast.
Maritsa dreams of joining the Air Force of Zimbabwe as an armament engineer and fancies a shot at representing her country in the sport.
“I took taekwondo as a sport because I want to take part in taekwondo (at the) Olympics. Although Covid-19 has slowed me down in terms of my training, I believe I can still make it,” Maritsa says, showing off her medals in the family lounge.
Her mother, Ndanatseyi Karigundu, says her daughter’s struggle against child marriage should be taken up by every adult in Epworth and Zimbabwe as whole.
“Adults must report what is happening within the community, but (that) is something that is not happening because of poverty. Parents are consenting to their little girls’ marriages and it is sad. It is not good for parents to accept lobola (dowry) for the young girls,” Karigundu says.
Mainly made up of families who migrated from rural areas in the early 1990s looking for work, Epworth’s girls are often married off to richer men or into polygamy.
Inspired by their daughter’s passion to see an end to child marriage, Maritsa’s parents have joined the campaign.
They however, say that it has been a significant task to change deep-rooted attitudes.
“We always hear sad stories here when Natsi is conducting her sessions. If we had resources, we would help them rebuild their lives. I am planning to help them start a soap-making business so that they can grow from there,” says her father, Richard Maritsa.
One of Maritsa’s students, 17-year-old Desire Mtunzi, agrees: “I have been coming for the sessions for about three months. It helps me keep fit and I learn about early marriages. I think child marriages are not good for the girl child.”
Maritsa is also determined to get teenage mothers back into school.
In Mbare, southern Harare, a group of young mothers gather for a support session at a community centre. Most of them dropped out of school after becoming pregnant.
At sessions organised by non-profit group Ignite Youth, girls are encouraged to create vision boards and set achievable targets for themselves, which include returning to school.
An initiative that started as a Covid-19 response has become a life changing experience.
Emily Nderezima (17), who could not finish her O-levels after becoming pregnant, oozes confidence after her first training. “I have learned how to take responsibility as a mum. I have the power and strength to achieve my goals,” she says.
Ignite Youth founder, Tadzi Madzima, says the programme is aimed at dealing with stigma associated with teenage pregnancy. Although Zimbabwean law now prevents pregnant girls being expelled from school, society still stigmatises them, she says.
“As much as we applaud the fact that teen mums can continue with their education after giving birth, a lot (is still needed) to educate parents, teachers and communities on how stigmatisation of teen mums is unfair and detrimental to their future.”
Meanwhile, Maritsa was invited to speak at the 2nd World Taekwondo Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum in March last year and was one of the highlights of the forum.
World Taekwondo has also been working with the Zimbabwe Taekwondo Association and the Korean government-funded Korean Taekwondo Promotion Foundation to send equipment and supplies to support her initiative.
World Taekwondo will continue to monitor her journey and provide the necessary help along the way.
The IOC Women and Sport Trophy represents opportunity, recognition and empowerment. Each year, the IOC Women and Sport Awards are given to women, men or organisations who have made remarkable contributions to the development, encouragement and reinforcement of women and girls’ participation in sport.
The World Award was presented to Tokyo 2020 President Hashimoto Seiko during the 139th IOC Session in Beijing, China, last week.
An experienced and prominent sports leader, politician, and seven-time Olympian, Hashimoto has disrupted and challenged many well-established gender norms in Japan to advance gender equality and inclusion in sport.
IOC President, Thomas Bach, and Chair of the IOC Women in Sport Commission, Lydia Nsekera, presented Hashimoto, who was present to deliver the final report on the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, with her award.
They also announced the continental winners and they are:
Winner for Africa: Natsiraishe Maritsa (Zimbabwe)
Winner for the Americas: Figure Skating in Harlem (USA)
Winner for Asia: Zhang Xia (China)
Winner for Europe: Kari Fasting (Norway)
Winner for Oceania: Tracey Holmes (Australia) — IOC/The Guardian/Infobae.com/Sports Reporter
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