On 10th March, the Representatives of Afghanistan and Monaco to the United Nations, Adela Raz and Isabelle Picco, organised a screening of the recently Oscar-winning documentary “Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone (If You’re a Girl)”.
Directed by Carol Dysinger, this short film tells the story of young Afghan girls learning to read, write and skateboard thanks to the work of the non-governmental organisation Skateistan in Kabul, Afghanistan.
This organisation, created by Oliver Percovich in 2007, was awarded the Peace and Sport prize. Before receiving the International Olympic Committee’s “World Award 2020” at the Women and Sport Awards, it won awards of Best NGO in 2009 and “Image of the Year” in 2011.
Skateistan offers young girls a unique opportunity to receive an education, while developing their sporting skills in a covered skatepark. This NGO is also active in South Africa and Cambodia.
The British documentary won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 92nd Academy Awards earlier this year.
“When girls are provided an opportunity, they will succeed" – great discussion with @OliverPercovich of @Skateistan and @AdelaRaz last night. Thank you @Monaco_ONU for hosting the screening of Oscar-winning Documentary Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you are a girl). pic.twitter.com/58MP63dRae
— Afghanistan Mission (@AfghanMissionUN) March 11, 2020
At the end of the screening, participants were able to discuss the impact of this innovative programme, which welcomes girls aged 5 to 17 from particularly disadvantaged backgrounds.
To discover more about this project, click here.