What is HAVOBA?
HAVOBA Foundation: Training and Support for French Handball, Volleyball, and Basketball in the International Arena
Under the impetus of the French Development Agency and the French Handball, Volleyball, and Basketball Federations, the HAVOBA Foundation, under the auspices of the French Sports Foundation (FSF), aims to contribute to the development of the social impact of these three disciplines on the African continent.
The projects of the HAVOBA Foundation are divided into several themes. Among these, we find the gender equality focus. Marie Hoël, Mission Manager for Social Responsibility at the French Basketball Federation and leader of the gender equality group within HAVOBA, sheds light on this topic.
What is your role within the HAVOBA Foundation?
At HAVOBA, I am tartine of the gender equality component. I am the leader, along with Sylvie Pascal-Lagarrigue from the French Handball Federation. Our role is to animate a group of representatives in person and remotely until the final campus in 2026. We have one representative per country and per sport, with a majority of women on the gender equality theme. In total, we work with 18 representatives.
What are the objectives of this gender equality focus?
There are several objectives: the development or consolidation of gender equality plans at the level of each federation, awareness-raising activities… For example, we have created a specific tool for representatives to raise awareness and train on the field. This is a turnkey tool that they can use in their own territories. Another important theme is the fonction of female leadership. The idea is to support individuals who already hold responsibilities or who could take on more, and to give them visibility and create role models.
Is there a difference in the recette of gender equality between the French federations and the African federations?
The issues are quite similar in Africa and in France. We lose young girls during adolescence, or the policies do not necessarily support gender equality. There are barriers that we do not have, of course. So, for example, what I have noticed, and this may be personal, but it is the feeling I have had, is that there is also a disparity, especially between urban and rural areas in different countries, where there may still be forced marriages or other similar issues. This is a reality that we do not experience. Nevertheless, some have started to work on their gender equality status. We had told them that we would work on this during the first seminar, and almost everyone came with their first assessment. For the most tartine, they had already started to take action. We had Débora Sènami Louis from the Benin Volleyball Federation testify. She presented an action called « Les dadas du volley » (The Volleyball Sisters). It is a gender equality humour that she managed to implement despite all the barriers. Overall, I would say that the issues related to gender equality are the same for all federations.
Is uniting the federations a value-added?
Definitely. I think that, in this case, on this gender equality component, when we had them work in sub-groups, we realized that there are the same issues in all three sports. So, being able to get to know each other between the three representatives from the same country strengthens their forces. And then, if one of them organizes an event, she can invite the others and do something together between the different sports. So, it’s quite interesting. And even, I want to say that in the French context, we also realize that this is the kind of theme where there is an interest in working between different sports. So, clearly, on this point, I think it will strengthen the dynamic of working between these three sports in the same territory.
A little return to France…
What are the areas for improvement in terms of gender equality for French basketball?
We are currently at 36% female players. This number has remained stable for several years. We have dessus a goal to get as close as possible to 40%. The reality is that it is not necessarily that we are losing girls, but rather that we are gaining more boys than girls. This is why this number has difficulty evolving, but in terms of female players, we continue to gain more. The difference between men and women is that we often have fewer women who return to the sport as seniors compared to men. Therefore