Topic

Topic 3: Podcast interview with Khalida Popal and Safaa Ahmed Bilal

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We interviewed Khalida Popal and Safaa Ahmed Bilal from Girl Power on the importance of empowering women with refugee and migrant backgrounds. Khalida shared an example of a leadership programme they run at Girl Power for young leaders and coaches from across Europe. Safaa, one of the participants in the programme and a future leader, shares her experience of being part of the leadership academy and her views on the importance of sharing power. 

You can hear the interview via the link below.

More about organisation

GirlPower

Khalida Popal was the founder of the Afghan women’s national football team and is now a refugee living in Denmark. In Afghanistan she was working for women’s rights especially in football but was continuously harassed, assaulted and received death threats. In the end, she had to flee her home country. As a result of her struggles she suffered from depression but used football as a way of overcoming the mental struggles. She is now using the beautiful game to empower young women from different backgrounds. She also uses football as a platform to tell her story, to speak up against injustice and to support other females to own their voices. She was suppressed by extremist people who were afraid of losing power to women but instead of giving up, she raised her voice. This year, Khalida has featured in articles published by the Guardian, BBC and New York Times.

https://www.girlpowerorg.com/

Contact

Khalida Popal

[email protected]

Safaa Ahmed Bilal 

Student, human rights activist and aspiring leader

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