LINDI's Songo Star FC has triumphed in the Action Cup tournament after cruising to a 1-0 victory over Kipindimbi Kombaini FC in the final in Kilwa District last week.

The district-wide sports and advocacy bonanza took place at the Community Development College venue in Kilwa Masoko.

Songo Star FC's Juma Ahmad scored the lone goal in the second minute of the first half of the final refereed by Bashiru Mataka.

The tournament's champion, located in Lihimalyao Ward, was thus presented with a trophy, a new football, and a goat, whereas second-placed Kipindimbi Kombaini FC took home a new football and a goat.

The tournament aimed to give the teams the opportunity to celebrate the International Youth Day and get education concerning Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

The Action Cup tournament, moreover, had a Youth Netball Championship which attracted two teams, Taifa Queen from Mitole Village and Njinjo. Taifa Queen commanded a comprehensive 27-4 victory over Njinjo.

The Youth Netball Championship winners, Taifa Queen, were presented with a trophy, a goat, and a ball, while runners-up, Njinjo, received a ball and a goat.

Abdul Said, a member of the Dira Yetu Initiative, thanked Actionaid-Kilwa for organizing the competitions for both football and netball from the village level to the district level.

The competitions, Said noted, offered a platform for youths in rural areas to participate in sports and receive education on gender-based violence against women and children.

Thirty-five teams from 35 villages participated in the football and netball competitions at the village level.

The tournaments' ward level attracted 10 teams, four teams took part in the semi-finals at the division level, and the finalists faced off at the district level.

The Action Cup was organized by Kilwa Youth Development Initiatives (KIYODI), in collaboration with Dira Yetu Initiative, with funding from Actionaid- Kilwa through the Kilwa Local Rights Program (LRP) project.

“Before the football games, youths from various villages, including pupils, got education on all about GBV, causes and effects of GBV against youths, women, and children, and where one can report the incidents,” he disclosed.

Said moreover stated that the youths were educated so that they can report violent incidents to legal aid service providers, village chairmen, teachers, social welfare officers, and the court and policy gender desk without fear of repercussions.

The education, according to the official, also sought to get rid of community norms, attitudes, and behaviours that condone violence against children, specifically sexual and gender-based violence.

Kilwa Local Rights Program (LRP) Project Coordinator, Steven Bernard, said: “We have decided to use the sports event because sports offer a unique, inclusive platform to raise awareness, engage young people, and catalyze community-led advocacy.”

Bernard added that the campaign leverages sports to challenge harmful norms, educate communities, and build momentum for structural change.

The tournaments brought together youths from various villages, secondary schools, and primary schools, teachers, legal aid service providers, police, and other people.

The champions walked away with football kits, trophies, goats, and toolkits for ongoing advocacy within their localities.

The Action Cup was meant to use community-based sports and advocacy to promote the protection of children from violence and enhance the dignity and working conditions of female teachers in Kilwa District.

The competitions, moreover, sought to empower youth and children to become champions of child protection in their schools and communities, increase community awareness of Violence Against Children (VAC)and its consequences,  promote gender equality, and support decent work for female teachers.

They further focused on encouraging inclusive, safe, and gender-responsive school environments and strengthening collaboration among education stakeholders, communities, and local authorities.

“If young people, teachers, and communities engage in structured sports and dialogue events embedded with strong advocacy messaging, they can change people’s mindset in their communities and help women, children stay in a safe environment and prevent GBV incidents,” Bernard revealed.

He was adamant that children's rights would be protected through awareness, solidarity, and collective action around children's protection and teachers' rights.

He stated that during the tournaments, which took place in 35 villages in Kilwa District, both primary and secondary schools conducted internal competitions at the school level.

The competitions had advocacy messaging integrated throughout, and the winning schools battled it out in the ward-level competition. The event also involved community discussions and cultural performances.

He mentioned key advocacy messages as 'silence is not safe- report', 'act', 'protect', 'every child has the right to learn in a safe environment- say no to violence', 'let teachers work with dignity- respect their rights', 'empower girls', and 'empower the future- end child marriage and abuse'.

Said Malenga, Kilwa Youth Development Initiatives (KIYODI) secretary, mentioned wards which participated in the Action Cup as Njinjo, Mandawa, Miguruwe, Kivinje, Masoko, Miteja, Mitole, Singino, Tingi, and Pande.

Makame Juma, the executive secretary of Dira Yetu Initiative, noted that the sports event aimed to bring young people together because, through football, it becomes easier to reach many youths and provide them with education.

It, according to him, also becomes easier to achieve the intended goals, such as offering education related to GBV, the proper use of social media, and other issues.

“We decided to provide this education because young people are the main victims of GBV incidents, such as domestic violence, rape, violence against children committed by youths, teenage pregnancies, and incidents of sodomy and sexual assault,” he disclosed.

Juma pointed out that the bonanza started on July 1, 2025, at the village level, with a total of 35 villages from 10 wards participating.

Salum Mnaga, Kipindimbi Kombaini FC's skipper, said: “We thank God for finishing the tournament safely. We played football and, although we were defeated, we will prepare for the next season.”

Mnaga noted: “We kindly ask ActionAid- Kilwa to continue supporting us with sports equipment such as jerseys, balls, bibs, and vests."