Playing with Confidence, Uganda

Playing With Confidence is a girl-focused cricket programme designed to support confidence, wellbeing, and participation during adolescence, a time when many girls drop out of sport. The programme combines cricket, health education, and leadership development to tackle the barriers that hold girls back from playing.

Delivered through intensive festival camps, Playing With Confidence uses games to open up conversations about menstruation, women’s health, and body confidence. Girls receive practical support, including sports bras and period pants, alongside education on how menstrual health affects sports performance and everyday life.

Cricket is used as both a hook and a safe space. Through play-based sessions, girls build confidence, form friendships, and learn that their bodies are strong, capable, and deserving of care. Tournaments and match play make participation visible, helping to normalise girls’ sport in their communities.

The programme also identifies future Cricket Changemakers, girls who want to lead, speak up, and support others. Alongside this, local coaches receive training in Positive Youth Development and gender-sensitive coaching, ensuring that learning continues long after the camp ends.