Nikumbuke Soccer
Nikumbuke Soccer
The Nikumbuke Women Soccer Initiative is an ongoing community-based women’s empowerment program implemented by the Hijabi Mentorship Program in Matuga Sub-county, Kwale County. The initiative was initially launched in 2022 through support from the United States Embassy in Nairobi and Rutgers University under a two-year community resilience and women’s leadership program.
Nikumbuke was designed to use adult women’s football as a platform for:
- Psychosocial healing
- Community resilience
- Women’s leadership
- Gender equality advocacy
- Social cohesion and peacebuilding
The initiative officially launched on 7 June 2022 in Lunga Lunga, Kwale County, with:
- 3 women’s teams
- 66 elder women participants
from:- Vuga
- Chinarini
- Ziwani
What began as a pilot initiative has since evolved into a growing grassroots movement reaching 176 rural women across six villages and eight active teams by 2025.
Nikumbuke responds to persistent barriers affecting rural women — particularly older women, young mothers, and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) — including social isolation, economic exclusion, psychosocial stress, and restrictive gender norms that discourage women’s participation in sports and public life.
Beyond football, the initiative creates trusted community spaces where women gather to build solidarity, access psychosocial support, strengthen confidence, and engage in broader conversations around wellbeing, safety, leadership, and economic resilience.
Key Milestones & Strategic Focus
Expanded from:
- 3 villages and 66 women in 2022
to - 8 active teams across 6 villages engaging 176 women in 2026
including women from:- Ziwani
- Chinarini
- Vuga
- Godoni
- Tsimba
- Mbuguni
- 3 villages and 66 women in 2022
Established 2 new teams in Tsimba and Mbuguni in 2025, adding 44 new participants and expanding geographic reach and community ownership.
- Integrated sports, psychosocial support, and economic empowerment through:
- Group healing sessions
- Peer support structures
- Survivor referrals
- Leadership development activities
- Integrated sports, psychosocial support, and economic empowerment through:
Conducted 21 psychosocial support group sessions across six villages, creating safe spaces for women to discuss:
- Emotional wellbeing
- Gender-based violence
- Isolation and stress
- Community challenges
Facilitated 15 one-on-one counseling referrals for women disclosing intimate partner violence, trauma, or emotional distress.
- Identified and linked 27 GBV survivors to the Jasiri Program for:
- Financial literacy
- Small business support
- Entrepreneurship mentorship
- Market linkages
strengthening pathways toward long-term economic resilience.
- Identified and linked 27 GBV survivors to the Jasiri Program for:
Democratically selected and trained 18 Community First Aiders, equipping them with first aid kits to strengthen safety, preparedness, and community trust during activities.
Organized inter-village matches and friendly tournaments to promote:
- Social cohesion
- Women’s visibility in public spaces
- Grassroots leadership
- Peacebuilding and collective participation
Strengthened male allyship and community support, with increasing participation of men through:
- Match attendance
- Shared caregiving support during games
- Public support for women’s participation and leadership
Integrated culturally sensitive SRHR and GBV awareness discussions into sports and team reflection sessions, strengthening access to information and referral pathways for underserved women.
Contributed to shifting harmful stereotypes around women and sports by demonstrating that football can be a culturally grounded tool for:
- Leadership
- Healing
- Gender equality
- Community dialogue
- Women’s visibility and participation
Strategic Contribution
Nikumbuke has transformed community football into a platform for healing, leadership, economic empowerment, and social change for rural women in coastal Kenya.
By combining sports with psychosocial support, survivor-centered referrals, and economic empowerment pathways, the initiative is challenging harmful gender norms, strengthening community solidarity, and creating safe spaces where women can reclaim visibility, dignity, confidence, and collective power.
The initiative also demonstrates how culturally grounded, community-led sports programming can contribute meaningfully to gender equality, peacebuilding, and women’s economic resilience in underserved settings.
