A race for rights: How sport is helping protect girls in Uganda

“As a female coach, the girls trust me,” she said. “They tell me things they can’t tell anyone else, about pressure to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), about being told to quit school, about relationships that make them feel unsafe.”

In parts of rural and hard-to-reach Uganda, female genital mutilation remains a serious human rights violation and public health concern. For girls in Sebei communities, it is tied to deep-rooted gender norms that also increase the risk of child marriage, school dropout and violence.

Yet on school grounds and running tracks, change is beginning to take hold.

A coach, a track and a safe space

Ms. Cheptoek works with the Joshua Cheptegei Development Foundation, partnered with the UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Joint Programme, to eliminate FGM by using sport as an entry point to reach young people – especially girls – who are often excluded from opportunity.

“This mindset undervalues their social, intellectual and cultural potential,” she said. “Sport helps us challenge that.”

For many girls, resisting harmful practices comes at a high personal cost. Those who refuse female genital mutilation can face pressure, ostracism and even violence for being seen as rejecting tradition.

Female genital mutilation – altering or injuring genitalia for non-medical reason – is often followed by child marriage and leaving school early. All are closely linked to poverty, which both drives these harms and is reinforced by them.

From community runs to classrooms

Each year, a Christmas run brings together boys and girls from across Sebei. But the event is about more than competition. From those runs, 12 girls are selected for educational sponsorships that help them enrol in junior school. 

“Most of these girls come from communities where female genital mutilation is still practised,” Ms. Cheptoek said. “Without sport and education, many of them would already be married or out of school.”

As girls begin to thrive in athletics and in class, attitudes are slowly shifting.

“Some parents now see that athletics can transform not just an individual girl, but the whole community,” she said. “When these girls run, they are running away from harmful practices and towards a future they choose for themselves.”

Learning safety, rights and self-worth

Ms. Cheptoek also offers age-appropriate advice on sexual and reproductive health, alongside guidance on personal safety and psychosocial support. 

She helps girls navigate the pressures that can come with visibility and success in communities where female independence is still contested.

“Girls who become successful athletes are often told, ‘You should stop running and get married,’” she said. “But financial independence and education give them choices.”

Those discussions became even more urgent after the killing of Ugandan long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died in 2024 after being attacked by her former partner following a dispute over land.

“We talk about safety because we don’t want to lose any more women,” Ms. Cheptoek said. “Female athletes are becoming more vulnerable because they challenge traditional gender roles, but no woman should be punished for pursuing her potential.”

“Female athletes are becoming more independent financially and socially and that can trigger violence in a society that still believes a woman should stay in the kitchen, cooking and taking care of children,” she said.

Sport to freedom 

For Ms. Cheptoek, the goal is clear.

“Sport should give girls freedom, not put their lives at risk.”

Through these efforts, hundreds of young people, parents and local leaders in Uganda are being reached with messages on ending female genital mutilation, promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights, and advancing gender equality.

UNFPA and partners support survivor-centred, community-driven efforts that help girls and women live free from violence, access accurate health information and services, make informed choices about their bodies and realise their full potential.