In rural Chiapas, girls are routinely kept at home, pulled out of school early, and told their destiny in life is to cook, clean and take care of their husbands and children. Opportunities to play sports are extremely limited, even non-existent. Girls face these obstacles within and outside their families and communities, denying them their rights to recreation, education, and work.
But with your help, this story doesn’t have to end here.
Twenty-eight determined Indigenous girls from Santiago El Pinar, ages 9 to 19, meet every Saturday to play soccer as part of the Scoring Goals for Equality Project.
Maria Magdalena Gómez, an 18-year-old participant, sums up how her experience is leading her to greater empowerment: “Knowing my rights has helped me a lot, giving me strength. When people make fun of me or say something mean to me, my heart has the strength to not get discouraged. I can also tell them that playing soccer is my right and that they can't deny it. Sometimes we sit at home, tired and discouraged, but when we come to the sessions and train and learn new things, we go home feeling encouraged.”
Would you give a gift so Maria Magdalena and other girls like her can build confidence and agency?
The Scoring Goals for Equality Project aims to increase opportunities for girls to venture beyond the confines of their homes and reclaim public space in their community. Using soccer as a tool for empowerment and to catalyze positive change, participating girls are developing self- confidence, learning life skills, and healing wounds of discrimination in ways that transcend social and cultural barriers.
Supporting these girls is your chance to score a BIG GOAL for equity! Please give generously!
Watch our annual video 2025 to hear firsthand about the progress Indigenous women are making thanks to your support!
Step Into The Light!
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