Nike Foundation and Save the Children Team Up to Empower Adolescent Girls
Girls in Bangladesh and Malawi to benefit from $1.58 million grant
The Nike Foundation and Save the Children have embarked on a partnership aimed at empowering adolescent girls in Bangladesh and Malawi. The Nike Foundation recently awarded Save the Children a three-year $1.58 million grant.
Bangladesh and Malawi are two of the most impoverished countries in the world. Poverty in both countries is exacerbated by chronic food insecurity in several regions of each country. Malawi also suffers from a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, which has progressively eroded the lives and livelihoods of the rural poor. Some of the most pressing issues that affect women, and adolescent girls in particular, in Bangladesh and Malawi are early marriage; pregnancy; and physical and sexual violence. Additionally, inadequate and insufficient health and education services and economic opportunities prevent adolescent girls from thriving and contributing to society.
In partnership with the Nike Foundation, Save the Children plans to empower adolescent girls ages 10-19 through improved skills and access to quality education, health and financial services so that they are valued in their communities and have a stronger sense of their abilities and rights. In the long run, it is anticipated that this will result in a reduction in household poverty. The program, entitled Strengthening Girls’ Voices, will be integrated with ongoing food security programs in Bangladesh and Malawi funded by the U.S. government.
Funded by Nike, Inc., the Nike Foundation is committed to the empowerment and advancement of adolescent girls in the developing world. The Nike Foundation believes adolescent girls are a key driver of positive change, and applies its assets, networks and knowledge to unleashing their untapped potential. With physical and financial security, girls can become the world’s most transformative population, influencing not only their own futures, but those of generations to come. The Foundation works with leading local, national and international organizations to raise awareness and incite action to remove the barriers to health, education, economic opportunity and justice facing girls today.
“We at the Nike Foundation are very excited about working with Save the Children in Bangladesh and Malawi to demonstrate the benefits of investing in girls — both as a means to improve the lives of girls themselves and the positive impact that this will have on their communities,” says Maria Eitel, President of the Nike Foundation. “The Nike Foundation sought Save the Children as a partner given its overall capacity and scale as well as its solid track record of working with adolescent girls.”
“This important partnership with the Nike Foundation gives us the opportunity to empower tens of thousands of adolescent girls in Bangladesh and Malawi,” says Charles MacCormack, President and CEO of Save the Children. “We are delighted to be working with the Nike Foundation to meet the needs of adolescent girls in Bangladesh and Malawi and give them a strong voice so they may build a bright and healthy future.”
Published 11/06
