Narrative Development & Content Strategy
A six-piece narrative series on women's football in Somaliland, built from primary research and interviews. Funded by an International Olympic Committee grant in partnership with All In For Sport and Bonito Sport/Love Futbol.
Sarreya Sport is a grassroots football organisation working with women and girls in Somaliland, a region where women's participation in sport is still being fought for in real time. The project was funded by an International Olympic Committee grant, with All In For Sport overseeing the technical work and Bonito Sport/Love Futbol as delivery partners.
I was brought on as the narrative lead. The brief was to develop a six-piece content series that would tell the story of the programme from the inside, grounded in the voices of the people involved rather than the institutional framing of the grant.
The work started with research. I conducted interviews with organisers, coaches, and participants, building an understanding of the cultural and political context before writing a word. This wasn't a project where you could parachute in with a template. The sensitivity of the subject matter, the specificity of the region, and the diversity of stakeholders meant every piece had to be built from the ground up.
The original scope evolved significantly during delivery. I adapted the final two pieces to reflect changes in the programme's direction, restructuring the narrative arc without losing the throughline established in the earlier entries.
What this project required: the ability to listen before writing, to handle sensitive subject matter with care, to manage a multi-stakeholder approval process, and to maintain narrative coherence across a series that took months to produce. It's the most demanding content work I've done, and the work I'm most proud of.
