Peace
Peace is also built in everyday life: listening, talking things through and opening up opportunities.
MasPaZion Foundation
We believe soccer can help girls, teenagers and women strengthen their voices, build their own paths and connect with others through teamwork.
From the field, we want to contribute to gender equality and peacebuilding.
Who we are
At the MasPaZion Foundation, we believe soccer can open opportunities on and off the field.
We chose it as a tool to support girls, teenagers and women as they strengthen their voices, participate and build their own paths and futures. Through play, we also want to promote gender equality and peacebuilding.
We are taking our first steps in Cali and are looking for people and organizations who want to join this purpose.
What moves us
Gender
We want more girls, teenagers and women to have opportunities to play, participate, have a say, pursue their dreams and take their place in the spaces that matter to them.
Soccer
Soccer is our tool for coming together, learning and carrying what we experience on the field into other areas of life.
Building their futures
Everyone has dreams, talents and a path to build. We want to support people as they discover their abilities and take action to shape their future.
Purpose and principles
Purpose
To build peace through soccer by creating opportunities for girls, teenagers and women to participate, have a say and make a difference in their communities.
Principles that move us
- EqualityWe work so that girls, teenagers and women have real opportunities, on and off the field.
- CareWe see caring for ourselves and for others as part of building peace.
- ActionWe turn ideas and opportunities into concrete actions that transform realities.
- TransparencyWe manage relationships and resources with responsibility, clarity and consistency with our purpose.
- Building with othersWe pool our abilities, listen to each other and work together to go further.
- ParticipationWe create spaces where girls, teenagers and women can express their views, take part in decisions and make a difference in their communities.
The +PaZion Method
Every girl arrives at the field with a story, a way of feeling and a voice that deserves to be heard.
The +PaZion Method, created by María Jimena Fernández Merchán, uses soccer as a tool to help girls and teenagers get to know themselves, take care of themselves and trust in what they are capable of.
Through play, it connects topics that are part of their lives: the body and women’s health, confidence, relationships with other people and the way they face conflict. In this way, what happens on the field can also become an opportunity to learn and make decisions off it.
They do not need to know how to play soccer to take part. We want each of them to find a space where she can learn at her own pace and feel part of the team.
An experience that inspires this path
The +PaZion Method was born where social and community work meets a passion for soccer. It starts from recognizing that many situations on the field also speak about life: how we relate to each other, how we make decisions, how we resolve conflicts and how we build with others.
From there, the method turns play into a practical tool for working on participation, leadership, building their own futures and peacebuilding.
An approach that connects body, field and peace
These three words help us explain how we understand the method and what we want to support in each experience.
Body
We want girls to be able to know their bodies, talk about their health with confidence and understand that taking care of themselves is also part of the game.
Tap each point on the field to learn about the approach of the method.
Founders
We share the dream of turning our experiences, abilities and convictions into real opportunities for girls and women. We come from different paths, but we are united by the same way of looking at the world: believing in potential, in the strength of the collective and in the possibility of transforming realities when there are opportunities, trust and support.
María Jimena Fernández Merchán
Co-founder · Head of Programs, Methodology and Impact
Political scientist with master’s degrees in Human Rights and Culture of Peace and in Conflict Resolution, Peace and Development. She has experience in territorial and community development and is the creator of the +PaZion Method, which connects soccer with lessons for life.
Adriana Robledo
Co-founder · Head of Administration, Finance and Sustainability
She has extensive experience in administrative and financial management, budgeting and business development. At the foundation she leads the planning and administration of resources, works on building partnerships and is in charge of communications and social media.
Care and transparency
We want everyone who takes part in our spaces to feel heard, respected and cared for.
We are building the MasPaZion Foundation with responsibility, transparency and care. We want to earn the trust of both those who take part in our projects and those who choose to support them.
Every contribution counts. That is why we aim to manage resources with good judgment, clarity and consistency with our purpose, turning that support into real opportunities, meaningful processes and lasting change.
If you would like to know more about our policies and institutional documents, write to us.
Request informationFrequently asked questions
Is the MasPaZion Foundation a non-profit organization?
Yes. We are a non-profit foundation based in Santiago de Cali, Colombia. Resources go toward fulfilling our purpose and running the foundation; any surplus is not distributed among the founders.
Do you already have projects underway?
We do not have any projects underway yet. We have a proposal ready and are looking for partners to help us take it to the field.
How can I support the foundation?
You can reach out as an individual, a company or an organization. We are looking for financial contributions, materials, spaces and partners who want to help us develop our projects. Write to us and let’s talk about how you would like to take part.
Can I make a donation?
If you would like to make a financial contribution, write to us and we will tell you about the available options. We do not have an online payment system for now. If you need information about certificates or tax benefits, ask us and we will review what applies.
Can I volunteer?
Yes, we would love to meet people who want to share their time, knowledge or experience. Write to us and tell us how you would like to get involved.
Do participants need to know how to play soccer?
No. Soccer is the tool we chose for learning and sharing. Girls and teenagers will be able to take part even without prior experience, depending on the characteristics of each project.
How will you take care of girls and teenagers?
We want every activity to be a space of respect and care. Before carrying out our projects, we will prepare the necessary protection measures, the corresponding authorizations and the responsible handling of data and images.
Do you only work with girls and women?
Our main focus is on girls, teenagers, young people and women. We also want to build together with families and communities, and we do not exclude boys, men or other people: participation will be defined according to the purpose of each project.
Join this team
To take our proposals to the field, we need people and organizations who want to be part of this journey.
If you want to support girls and teenagers through soccer, let’s talk about how we can do it together.
Would you like to volunteer? Write to us
- Financial contributionsYour contribution can help develop our projects and cover the resources needed to carry them out.
- Materials and spacesBalls, sports equipment and places to meet can help us make the activities happen.
- PartnershipsIf you represent a company, organization, school or club, we can talk about how to work together.
- VolunteeringIf you want to share your time, knowledge or experience to support our projects, we would love to meet you.