"We are the sun and stars, aiming high, uplifting ourselves and others." Motto of the PowerGirls
PowerGirls Support for disadvantaged girls
Girls can do anything
The innovative PowerGirls program trains disadvantaged South African girls to become confident and energetic young women who are able to bring about change in their communities.
It provides vulnerable girls with knowledge and strategies to make positive life choices and overcome obstacles so that they can reach their full potential.
The reality of girls
The social and economic reality of South Africa is that many young girls have insufficient opportunities. A third of female children in South Africa grow up in disadvantaged homes.
Most have little hope of ever realizing their full potential and are trapped in a constant cycle of poverty. This makes them particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, teenage pregnancy and the threat of HIV/Aids, especially in South Africa’s traditionally patriarchal society. The first sexual experience of one in three young South African women is rape.
PowerGirls is an initiative that aims to break this cycle.
Nikki Adler boxing school for girls
Boxing can open up a whole new world, especially for girls. South Africa has one of the highest rape rates in the world. Strengthening women, promoting their self-confidence and showing them how they can defend themselves for their own protection is particularly important to Nikki Adler. “In Germany, I already had to fight hard for my dream in a male domain, but these conditions for a self-determined life are even harder and more unfair.”