11/10/2025
She Plays, She Leads, She Builds Peace – Girls Celebrate International Day of the Girl Child in Suva
Laughter, chants, music, dances and team spirit filled the air today as the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement’s Grow.Inspire.Relate.Lead.Succeed – GIRLS Programme proudly hosted a Peacebuilding Sports Day in Suva for more than 100 girls from the central division, marking International Day of the Girl Child today, commemorated every year on October 11.
Held under the theme “She Plays, She Leads, She Builds Peace”, the sports event was a day of excitement, energy and empowerment and also a safe and inclusive space for girls to showcase their leadership, challenge gender stereotypes, and strengthen solidarity.
The event is part of continued efforts by FWRM to provide platforms such as sports, theatre, spoken word, digital storytelling, art and others as safe spaces for girls to grow, inspire, relate, lead and succeed.
FWRM Executive Director Nalini Singh at the opening of the event emphasised the support that girls need to create positive transformative change in their schools, communities and households.
“Today’s Peacebuilding Sports Day is more than just fun and games. Sports teaches us teamwork, respect, resilience and trust - the same values needed to building peace in our families, in schools and in our communities. When girls play, they learn to lead. When girls lead, they inspire others to challenge inequality. And when girls come together in solidarity, they build peace,” she said.
Permanent Secretary for Youth and Sports, Meli Nacuva encouraged the girls to not be limited in their perception of themselves and challenge the barriers they faced in the sports arena.
Also at the event were women rugby representatives, Rusila Nagasau, captain of the Fijiana 7s women’s team and Fiji Deaf Women’s Rugby team player, Lusi Rokonamarama who each shared their experiences whilst encouraging the girls to nurture their talents in the sporting field.
“Not everyone can become teachers, not everyone can become doctors. Tell yourself that one day you will reach your goal. You can be the best in the world if only you believe in yourself,” Fijiana 7s captain, Rusila Nagasau.
Lusi shared her journey through the GIRLS Program and said, “I am proud to say that I am a graduate of the FWRM GIRLS programme. Since I joined the programme I have built my confidence not only on the field but also off the field. I joined the Deaf rugby last year and I felt grateful and emotional sometimes as well. My biggest achievement is we won gold in Australia and that was a great feeling to play in Deaf rugby team in Australia and win gold,” she said.
The programme included a rugby clinic facilitated by officials from the Fiji Rugby Union, mindfulness exercises by Asinate Korocowiri, fire safety awareness by National Fire Authority officers, dances, chanting and a Pinktober one-minute silence for girls whose lives were lost to cancer.
The Peacebuilding Sports Day was supported by the Australian Government in partnership with the International Women’s Development Agency.
Ends