Every Day is International Women’s Day at Street Child United
March 8th marks the global celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), a day dedicated to honouring the achievements of women and girls worldwide while raising awareness of the challenges they continue to face. While this day serves as an important reminder of the work still needed to achieve gender equality, at Street Child United (SCU), every day is International Women’s Day.
We believe that the journey towards gender equality doesn’t begin or end on a specific day—it is a constant commitment to creating equal opportunities for women and girls. Through sports, education, and advocacy, SCU actively empowers young women to build a better future. Through our initiatives like Project Chhori, the FIFA Foundation Community Programme, and various advocacy campaigns, we empower women and girls daily – ensuring they have the tools, resources, and opportunities to thrive, overcome barriers, and break through societal limitations.
Project Chhori: Every Day, Empowering Girls through Menstrual Health
Launched in 2022, in partnership with Childreach Nepal, Project Chhori is one of SCU’s key initiatives to provide street-connected girls and women with the ability to manage their menstrual health safely and with dignity. Through the distribution of sanitary pad-making machines, SCU has not only ensured girls have access to biodegradable sanitary pads but also created job opportunities and income-generating activities for local communities.
Every day the programme gives girls – and boys – access to education on menstrual hygiene, helping to break down the cultural barriers that often surround menstruation. It provides girls with the confidence to talk openly about their bodies and health—empowering them to challenge the myths and stigmas they face.
The programme has already expanded to Bangladesh and India, where local partners such as LEEDO and Karunalaya are reaching more girls, and Project Chhori continues to grow with the goal of eventually reaching Palestine. Each of these efforts is a step toward ensuring that women and girls can access the resources they need.
Empowering Communities through Football: A Year-Round Commitment
Another critical element of SCU’s work in promoting gender equality is our partnership with the FIFA Foundation Community Programme. This initiative, which started in 2022 exemplifies how sport can be a transformative tool for social change. At the heart of the programme is empowering girls—equipping them with the tools to become leaders and advocates for gender equality in their communities.
In Brazil, this collaboration reached 1,108 participants over the course of five months, far surpassing our original target of 491 beneficiaries. The programme combined football training with human rights workshops, focusing on gender equality, soft skills development, and empowerment. This daily work helps girls gain confidence, develop leadership skills, and understand their rights—ultimately enabling them to become the change-makers who will shape a more equitable future.
We are pleased to announce that we have once again been selected to deliver the FIFA Foundation Community Programme in 2025—this time with double the impact, as we will be running the programme in both Brazil and Mexico.
Every Day, Supporting Protection and Safeguarding
Street-connected girls are particularly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and violence. They are often hidden away in temporary accommodations or squats, where they are at risk of gender-based violence and institutional sexism. SCU’s programmes help protect girls from these dangers by providing them with empowerment, safety, and opportunities to grow and succeed.
Deyna, a Bolivian university student, credits her involvement with SCU for steering her away from dangerous situations. She shared:
“I honestly don’t know what could have happened in my life if I wasn’t an athlete, maybe I would have fallen into bad friendships or alcohol and drug addiction, or maybe I would have been a young mother because that is what happens with the majority of teenagers in my country. But I feel that football has avoided those possible situations because I only had time to train. Football has saved me.”
For Deyna, every day spent training in football has been an opportunity to build a better future, far from the dangerous paths that could have awaited her.
Every Day, Creating Pathways to Education
Education is a powerful tool for social mobility, yet street-connected girls often face severe barriers to accessing it. Through SCU’s programmes, girls are given the chance to complete their studies, pursue vocational training, and attend mentorship programmes that provide the skills necessary for a brighter future.
Sopna, a former SCWC participant and now Young Leader from Northern Bangladesh, is another example of a young woman whose life has been transformed by the educational opportunities provided by SCU. She said:
“I care for my younger brothers and sisters when they fall ill; I accompanied them to the hospital and looked after them. My interest in nursing began to develop during these experiences as I realised my passion for caring for others in a healthcare setting.”
Thanks to SCU’s support, Sopna is now pursuing a BSc in nursing and continues to focus on her studies every day to build a better life.
Supporting Grassroots Activism: Every Day, Advocating for Lasting Change
At SCU, we believe in the power of grassroots activism to create systemic change. We work to get the stories of street-connected children, especially girls, in front of governments and leaders to demand the change that is necessary for gender equality. One of the highlights of our work is providing young people, like Sopna, the opportunity to speak out and advocate for themselves and their peers.
During the Street Child Cricket World Cup in 2019, Sopna spoke at the British Parliament and advocated for legal identity for street-connected children. As a result of her efforts, a landmark ruling in Bangladesh was made, allowing children to obtain birth certificates without requiring their parents’ National ID (NID). Every day, Sopna and other young leaders continue to use their voices to push for change on behalf of their peers.
Every Day, Fostering a Lifelong Passion for Sport
Sport is an important tool for empowerment, and SCU ensures that every girl involved in our events and programmes has the opportunity to build a lifelong love of sport. Deyna’s experience with SCU has helped her grow into a confident leader, stating:
“Sport helps girls and women grow individually, with ambitions, with an empowered mentality, with the opportunity to be part of positive change in society and be an inspiration for future generations.”
Sport isn’t just a one-time opportunity; it is something that girls can carry with them throughout their lives, learning valuable lessons in leadership, teamwork, and resilience that will stay with them forever.
Every day is International Women’s Day at Street Child United—let’s continue to stand together, support one another, and work towards a world where every woman and girl has the chance to thrive. When women rise, the world rises with them.
