Project supported by REN wins UNESCO Prize

Girl MOVE Academy, a project supported by REN and which promotes gender equality through innovative educational models, was awarded the 2021 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education. This is the second project supported by REN to be internationally recognised with this prize. Last year, the 2019's REN's AGIR Award winner - Apps for Good Portugal technological education programme - was also awarded the UNESCO - Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize for Best Practices and Exemplary Performance in Improving Teacher Efficiency. 

Alexandra Machado, the project's founder and CEO finds this recognition as 'a confirmation of our mission, and is a true pride that we share with all those who are part of this greater endeavor'. 

Teresa Barreiros, Head of Human Resources at REN, welcomes the 'highly commendable' recognition of this experience of 'enormous impact on the transformation and empowerment of young Mozambican women, which opens doors to new learning and raises their talents to contribute to a better world, with more opportunities, and of which we are very proud to be a part, not only because of the commitment we have, for several years, taken on to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion, both internally and externally, in line with our Gender Equality Plans, with the United Nations #TargetGenderEquality and WEP - Women's Empowerment Principles, of which we are a part, and within the scope of SDG 5, to which we subscribe as a priority, but also because of the historical connection we have with Mozambique'. 

Girl MOVE Academy is a Grassroots Leadership Academy that, with its education models, amplifies talent, promotes gender equality, and gives rise to sustainable transformation. Through the Change Programme, Girl Move Academy promotes the training and personal and career development of around 30 young Mozambican graduates, the Girl Movers. 

REN joined this project for the first time this year in the context of its commitment to Gender Equality, in line with the goals of the Strategic Plan for Gender Equality 2019-2023 and with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5 - Gender Equality). REN's support is materialised by hosting and accompanying a young Mozambican woman on a four-week exchange programme involving different areas of the company. 

The 2021 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education is a Prize that recognises individuals, institutions, or organisations that have distinguished themselves for their efforts in promoting girls' and women's education, and it contributes directly to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development agenda, specifically to SDG 4, which deals with quality education, and SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality. 

The Official UNESCO Prize Ceremony took place on 15 October at 10:00 CET, Central European Time, (09:00 in Continental Portugal), and was attended by REN.