Girls Count

The Nike foundation has in the last 4 years been researching and working on a theory that states that investment in adolescent girls will yield benefits for poorer communities overall. They are not the first to do so, but their research has backed the theory which has driven them to invest further in girls through 2 initiatives known as Girls Count and The Girl Effect. It is certainly true that women and girls have received the short end of the stick historically, in terms of access to education, important roles in society and other other arenas as simple as participation in sports. There are many working to change these imbalances, and other projects like the microlending boom have also seen women being major beneficiaries of credit, proving to be very resourceful in enhancing their situations and collectively improving the plight of their families (The Grameen Bank is one such example).

Gender imbalance also affects females here in South Africa with teenage girls 3 to 4 times more likely to get HIV than teenage boys according to our Skillz booklet. The coach's booklet in the Skillz Curriculum states that girls are more likely to get HIV because they attract older men who are more likely to have HIV. The culture of sugar daddies is also prevalent especially in poorer areas of the country where older men will offer material goods for sex. (see UNFPA report for further info on Women and AIDS). Our Generation Skillz Curriculum will seek to address gender imbalance and the risks teenage girls face concerning the virus.