The Arrows for peace,an initiative that uses archery to promote peace in communities that have been affected by conflict for ages is set to be honoured at the third Association Of National Olympic Committees of Africa,ANOCA gender and equality forum scheduled November 11th-12th in Bujumbura,Burundi.
Arrows for peace, founded by former 3,000m steeplechase athlete Irene Limika, uses archery,an Olympic sport to foster cohesive co-existence in communities that have traditionally had frosty relationships especially in arid and semi arid regeons of Kenya.
According to the conveners of the forum the initiative’s founder, Irene Limika, is set to adrees the forum as a penlist an share her insights on sports development.
The invitation letter seen by KBC Digital sports stated; We are especially honored to invite you to participate as a distinguished panelist at this significant event. Your insights on the vital topic of “Sport and social inclusion: Sport as a driver of peace, inclusion, and resilience for women.”
The two day forum is set to delve into the role of sports in advancing equity in the society as well prepare ANOCA member associations ahead of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games which will be held in Senegal.This will be the first time the event is being held in the continent.
‘’Our primary objective is to collectively examine and strategize how sports organizations can achieve significant advancements towards gender balance in all facets of their operations. This event is particularly timely, occurring after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, prior to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and just one year before the inaugural Youth Olympic Games on African soil. As such, it represents a unique and crucial opportunity to accelerate our collective efforts towards achieving gender equality in sports’’, the communique states.
Organized by the Irene Limika Foundation the initiative seeks to transform traditional bow and arrow skills into a sport, with the goal of “shooting to win, not to kill”. The program identifies talent, provides training, and holds competitions to foster unity, community development, and a peaceful coexistence among various groups across different counties in Kenya.
