Kabaddi for Empowerment

Praajak uses Kabaddi alongside gender learning and collective action to create safe, inclusive spaces where adolescents can build confidence, leadership, life skills, and agency. The approach combines the power of sport with opportunities for young people to reflect on gender, rights, relationships, discrimination, child protection, and the challenges affecting their lives.

Through adolescent and youth collectives, gender sessions, Kabaddi, community engagement, and youth-led action, young people are encouraged to identify issues such as child marriage, gender-based violence, discrimination, and barriers to education, and to collectively explore solutions. Sport provides a practical entry point for developing teamwork, communication, discipline, decision-making, resilience, and leadership, while creating greater opportunities for girls to participate in public and community spaces.

The programme particularly seeks to expand girls’ access to sports and collective spaces, challenging social norms that restrict their mobility and participation as they grow older. Participation in Kabaddi helps girls build confidence, strengthen peer relationships, gain social recognition, and develop the agency to express their views and negotiate within their families and communities.

Beyond individual empowerment, the programme works towards creating child-friendly community environments. Families, schools, community groups, and local stakeholders are engaged in dialogue around gender equality, child rights, education, and protection. Adolescent leaders are supported to take collective action and participate in community discussions, helping strengthen community-based mechanisms for child protection and gender justice.

Emerging Change

Adolescents are developing greater confidence, leadership, and awareness of their rights and responsibilities. Girls, in particular, are gaining greater opportunities to participate in sports and public spaces, strengthening their confidence and social acceptance. Young people are increasingly able to express their views, identify challenges affecting them, engage with families and communities, and take collective action on issues such as child marriage, gender discrimination, violence, and barriers to education.

Community activities—including Kabaddi tournaments, rallies, street theatre, wall writings, cultural events, and other youth-led initiatives—create opportunities for adolescents to influence wider attitudes and strengthen community participation in child protection and gender equality.

Vision

Praajak envisions empowered and socially responsible adolescents who have the confidence, knowledge, and collective strength to shape decisions affecting their lives and contribute to safer, more inclusive, and gender-equitable communities. By combining sport, gender transformation, adolescent leadership, and community action, Kabaddi for Empowerment creates pathways for young people—especially girls—to participate, lead, claim their rights, and realise their aspirations.

Key partners and systems engaged: Terre des homes, Azim Premji Foundation, American Jewish World Services, Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights, District Child Protection Units, Panchayati Raj institutions, Urban local governments, schools, families, and local youth groups