Run by women. Built for girls.
A registered Zanzibar non-profit, founded in 2020.
Our mission
Safe, inclusive places where girls play, learn and find their voice.
In Zanzibar many girls grow up without organised sport, without reliable information about their bodies and rights, and under pressure to leave school early. WEZA uses football and Purposeful Play to change that, for girls of every ability.
Our vision: a Zanzibar where every girl grows up with dignity and equal opportunity, equipped to shape her own future.
The team
Petra Karume
Founder & Executive Director
Founded WEZA in 2020. Leads strategy, partnerships and the CHEZA Hub build.
Aisha Ali Karume
Co-Founder · Purposeful Play & Safeguarding
15+ years in community health. Designs the sessions that put health and rights into play.
Dalila Jaffar Mtwana
Head Coach · Disability Inclusion
Zanzibar's first female FIFA referee, now match commissioner. Sign-language interpreter.
How we got here
- WEZA founded. Football plus health education workshops.
- Sports4Girls and Football for Peace with the U.S. Embassy, KAS and Wajamama: 59 girls, every one with reusable pads.
- The Zanzibar Sparks, the island's first U14 girls' team. Six months later: the Mondial Pupilles in France.
- Twende Olympics with the Embassy of France and Coaches Across Continents: 70+ coaches trained, 250+ sessions.
- UN Football for the Goals partner. Kym Rapier Foundation becomes lead partner for 2026–27.
- Land bought and cleared at Dunga Kiembeni. The girls' league and the Danish Embassy programme begin. CHEZA Hub opens in November.
