Mercedes Vasquez Micolta (Fundación Colombianitos) has experienced the power of football as a tool for female empowerment. She now uses football3 to promote education and gender equality in conflict areas of Colombia.
I was born in Puerto Tejada, Cauca, in 1993. My mother died when I was 11 years old. She was only 30. Shortly afterwards I started playing football3 with other girls. People didn't normally accept the idea of women playing football and many parents restricted their daughters from training. We felt excluded from the community, but we were motivated by the passion we had for the sport. With football3, we started paying more respect to ourselves and our opponents. It was a way of learning how to be a better person. Now I use football3 to share life lessons with other young girls. My dream is to continue learning, complete university and become self-sufficient.