Taça das Favelas and EmpowerHer Cabo Verde: sport, leadership and social transformation

On World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, CUFA Cabo Verde and the Maracanã Association are launching the EmpowerHer Cabo Verde program, a female youth leadership initiative integrated into the Cabo Verde Favela Cup. The launch will be marked with a benefit concert at the Portuguese Cultural Center in Praia on May 21, 2026, featuring the band "O Arrepio," accompanied by the Batucadeiras Grupo Amizade and Banda Maracanã.

The program positions sport as a tool for education, citizenship, and social transformation, with a focus on female leadership. The central objective is to guarantee the participation of a Cape Verdean women's team in international competition, promoting social inclusion and gender equality.

Inspired by the vision "From communities to the world: shaping the next generation of leaders," the project creates opportunities for girls from marginalized communities and rural areas, using soccer as a starting point for personal and collective development.

EmpowerHer Cabo Verde complements this mission with a structured training program in leadership, entrepreneurship, active citizenship, and financial independence. Around 20 prominent women from Cape Verdean society will act as godmothers and mentors, supporting and inspiring the young athletes.

The initiative is promoted by CUFA Cabo Verde, in partnership with the Maracanã Cultural and Sports Association and various national and international partners, involving public institutions, the private sector, the diaspora, and international organizations.

Throughout the process, highlights include the launch concert, the national women's qualification for the Taça das Favelas (Favela Cup), which will take place at the 2nd edition of the Kumunidadi Fest on July 4th, and various mobilization, mentoring, and fundraising activities leading up to international participation in 2027.

The Taça das Favelas Cabo Verde thus establishes itself as a movement of inclusion and leadership, where young women will have the opportunity to showcase the talent, resilience, and transformative potential of their communities on the global stage.