The global scenario this year was to inspire social change through football. Therefore, Promundo decided to create a pioneering project that mixes football with educational workshops to engage men in preventing violence against women: the White Ribbon Championship.
Nike and Changemakers granted Promundo the recognition and honor of receiving the regional Nike/Changemakers award in the “Changing lives through football” category for the actions carried out by the project during this year in the Morro Santa Marta community, in Rio de Janeiro.
The White Ribbon Championship, which was funded by the United Nations Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence Against Women, used a football tournament to attract young and adult men to educational workshops and community discussions. Between March and August, men registered in the championship, in addition to playing football, participated in debates on violence prevention, gender equality, fatherhood and care.
It was an unprecedented project in the history of the community: 140 men registered, 6 months of tournament, 99 games, 105 workshops, 21 events. There were personalized uniforms, posters, pamphlets, scoreboards, a professional referee trio, gifts, an endless range of materials and interventions designed by the Promundo team together with the community members who participated in the project. Furthermore, to further integrate residents with the project, a weekly newspaper was created with news about the campaign, the championship and the community.
The main objective of the social campaign was to promote awareness about the role of men and the community in combating violence against women. The championship served as a community event in which all residents: men, women and children socialized and received the materials developed by the campaign.
“ We are very honored by the recognition of this project. We hope that this methodology will be adapted and applied in other contexts ”, comments Fabio Verani, project coordinator.
The Laço Branco Championship was one of the 6 projects selected from the 293 registered initiatives. In addition to recognition from Nike and Changemakers, Promundo was also awarded a monetary bonus of 10 thousand dollars that should be applied to similar initiatives or adaptations of the project in other communities.
Our awards will be permanently archived and open to public consultation on the Changemakers website. For more information about other award winners and finalists:
Rio de Janeiro September 1, 2010
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