Grassroot Soccer Selected in the “Women Deliver 50”

Grassroot Soccer Recognized on Top 50 List of Ideas and Solutions Improving the Lives of Girls and Women Worldwide

Women Deliver, a global advocacy organization, today announced the “Women Deliver 50,” a compilation of the 50 most inspiring ideas and solutions that are delivering for girls and women across the globe. After receiving hundreds of online nominations from 103 countries, a selection committee chose 125 finalists to be voted on by the public. More than 6,000 individuals participated in the online voting. Grassroot Soccer is honored to be among the winning selections.

Grassroot Soccer was recognized for our Skillz Street program, a girls-targeted after school soccer league, to educate and empower young women to avoid risky behavior and protect themselves from HIV. Skillz Street challenges gender norms by creating a safe space for young women to be themselves and learn new skills—while playing the male-dominated sport of football.

The “Women Deliver 50” list showcases advocacy campaigns; health interventions; technologies; educational initiatives and leadership programs. The initiatives, which range from grassroots to global, are led by social entrepreneurs, civil society, governments, international agencies and private companies.

“We started the Skillz Street soccer initiative to educate girls in Southern Africa about sexual and reproductive health and to empower them with the skills they need to protect themselves from HIV,” said Dr. Tommy Clark, Grassroot Soccer Founder and CEO. “Our inclusion in this list, among so many inspiring organizations, gives us renewed energy as we inspire generations of strong-minded, confident young women, working towards our goal of educating 1 million youth by 2014.”

A selection committee of experts and advocates representing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Medic Mobile, Room to Read, Man Up, Women Deliver and the International Center for Research on Women, narrowed down the original list of nominations for voting.

“The solutions on this list show that with ingenuity, drive and dedication, we can build a better world for girls and women,” said Jill Sheffield, Women Deliver Founder and President. “We are proud to celebrate these organizations and programs, which are pioneering real, lasting, social change at the local and global levels. We have seen time and time again that when we invest in girls and women, entire societies benefit.”

For more on Grassroot Soccer’s girls-targeted approach, click here.

For more on Women Deliver, click here.