FONDAZIONE MILAN PROMOTES FEMALE EMPOWERMENT IN PAKISTAN

For over 20 years now, Fondazione Milan has been by the side of young people, promoting and supporting projects and initiatives that use sport as a tool for positive social change, in Italy and all over the world.

With the same goal in mind, the Rossoneri charity has announced its support for the "A Goal to Dream" project from PPG Sports, L'ORMA, and AL2Sport that will offer over 50 girls from the Yasin Valley in northern Pakistan the opportunity to achieve their dreams of playing football, and much more.

The project will bring about the construction of a new sports and community space, a safe and inclusive environment where the girls can practice sports and access a whole series of other educational activities. It will also provide a home for tournaments and other events aimed at promoting awareness about gender equality and female empowerment in sports.

The kick-off event for the project was held at Casa della Memoria in Milano, with a screening of the documentary of the same name, "A Goal to Dream". The film recounts the daily lives of a group of girls in Pakistan, more specifically in the area between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, who must face a system rife with prejudice day after day, limiting their freedom in sports and in society. An artistic telling, but a reality for many that the project aims to address.

Together with representatives from Fondazione Milan, L'ORMA and AL2Sport, AC Milan Women's First Team player Giulia Semplici also took part in the event. As the first female player to have debuted in the top division after playing exclusively in the Rossoneri Youth Sector, she took part in the discussion about the evolution of football in Italy and the power of sport as a tool to bring positive change off the pitch.

Rocco Giorgianni, General Secretary of Fondazione Milan, stated: "We are excited to extend our commitment to women's empowerment through the project 'A Goal to Dream', giving more than 50 girls the opportunity to dream big. This initiative testifies once again how sport can transcend the limits of the playing field and make a real impact in people's lives, contributing to a real cultural change".

Paolo Menescardi, Administrator of L'ORMA, and Luca Amadessi, co-founder of AL2Sport, added: "We want to give the girls from the Yasin Valley a voice, they are fighting with passion every day and making sacrifices to be able to play football in northern Pakistan. Sport is capable of enacting social change, and, thanks to the invaluable contribution of Fondazione Milan, we want to guarantee support for the girls to make their dreams a reality, no matter how far off they may seem".

Support for the "A Goal to Dream" project will be part of the Sport for Change program by Fondazione Milan which houses projects and initiatives dedicated to young people from difficult social backgrounds.