Girls Football

The cause:

Girls' Rights and Education

The project:

Plan Brazil, in partnership with local government, started a soccer program for 200 girls between ages 10 and 18. The program wasn't just about winning the championship - it was also about girls' rights and equality.

The details:

The soccer fields in the Codo region of Brazil were strictly "no girls allowed." Community perceptions were pretty clear - soccer was a men's sport. Traditionally in Codo, women were seen as fragile, lacking in capabilities and inferior to men.

At the same time the community noticed a huge problem for youth: their region had the lowest school enrolment rate in Brazil. But what does soccer have to do with it?

Each of the girls