Young girls in Paraguay will attend school this year with confidence knowing their dreams will not be a burden to their family.
We use soccer as a means to connect, build relationships, and gain the trust needed to make an impact where it truly matters most: in the classroom. Families who are faced with poverty make many sacrifices and due to the lack of finances, many children are forced to stay home and work.
In fact, in many rural communities, many children don’t complete school past 7th grade due to financial struggles and girls, more often than not, are first to lose this opportunity leaving them with little to no education. In Paraguay, the retainment rate of girls in schools is low. From primary to upper secondary school, the participation of girls drops 25 percent, from 86 to 61 percent.
Our hope is to change that statistic through our 360 Sports and Education International Program by ensuring young girls can attend school and receive the education they deserve. We partner with local schools to ensure there is a pathway for long-term education because the fight for poverty begins there. We believe in the benefits of playing in team sports, however, we also believe education is the key to becoming your fullest potential and being a student athlete comes first.
Six young girls received a Girls Soccer Worldwide™ Sports and Education scholarship that includes their school tuition and school supplies for the full year, school uniforms, tutoring, and full participation in our ALL female Las Pionera’s soccer program…creating opportunities for these girls to gain life skills ON AND OFF the field.
“From the bottom of my heart, I feel very grateful for this opportunity for my daughter, we have never received help from anyone, nor from my family, not even from Natalia’s father, it is a great relief in this difficult situation,” Mom of a young girl who received a scholarship.
Scholarships recipients with their moms who have been supporting them on and off the field.
Our scholarships are a family effort to ensure our Ambassadors (scholarship recipients) meet all the requirements throughout the year. Ambassadors are required to attend school throughout the year, receive acceptable grades, attend soccer practice, and participate in community service projects at least 3x a year. This is our 360…cultivating character on AND off the field. We believe in the power of Female Student Athlete!
“My daughters and I are very happy. Thanks to this (scholarship) I was able to buy some things that they needed most and Im very grateful to Girls Soccer Worldwide for supporting my daughters in their studies,” says Nora a mom of two young girls who received a scholarship (pictured below).
Mom with daughter acknowledging the agreement for her daughters scholarships.
Dahiana, pictured above shares her thoughts after receiving her scholarship, “I feel spectacular and grateful to the whole team, and to Girls Soccer Worldwide™. Thank you very much for considering me!”
“It´s a great step for our community. It is the first time there has been a scholarship program dedicated only to provide opportunities for girls. As a woman I feel very proud to be part of the change staying faithful to my ideals and beliefs,” says Nahir Raidán, GSW Program Manager in Paraguay.
Magali (photo) Girls Soccer Worldwide™ Ambassador and participant in our 360 Sports and Education International Program receiving a scholarship from Nahir, GSW Program Manager in Paraguay. Magali shares “I feel very good and happy. I am grateful for this opportunity and thank you.”
Our 360 Sports and Education International Leadership Program is made possible through our annual Kicking it for Education™ campaign and through the generosity of our Champions for Change Memberships.
“It’s a great help for our family. We are going through very difficult times economically that have been affecting my daughter. When she arrived from school and we told her that she would be receiving a scholarship she didn’t believe me. She was very happy! ”
If you would like to invest in the future of a young girl living in poverty and help her believe in the possibility of big dreams, become a voice for change TODAY!
