Schwarzkopf awards female empowerment: Celebrating the first Million Chances Award

An award ceremony putting the focus on female empowerment: The first Schwarzkopf Million Chances Award took place on November 7, 2018 at Henkel in Düsseldorf. In a festive award ceremony, the jury, including Kathrin Menges, Executive Vice President Human Resources and Chairwoman of Henkel's Sustainability Council, honored four initiatives for their exceptional commitment to girls and women. Each winner was endowed with a prize money of 10.000 euros, donated by the Fritz Henkel Foundation. Jens-Martin Schwärzler, Executive Vice President Beauty Care, also welcomed the guests to the award ceremony.

Strengthening the self-confidence of girls and women around the world and offering them new perspectives in everyday life – "female empowerment" is the mission of the Schwarzkopf Million Chances Initiative. "There are millions of girls and women worldwide for whom a self-determined life is not possible. This is why we want to support projects that increase the chances of girls and women," says Kathrin Menges.

This year, for the first time, charitable projects and initiatives had the chance to apply for the Million Chances award. Initiatives based in Germany, Austria or Switzerland and locally or globally active in the fields of health, education, economic emancipation or rights and integration for girls and women were able to apply for the award.

The jury honored prizes in three award categories based on the funding areas of the Million Chances Initiative: projects in the category "Build Up" support girls of primary school age. "Move Up" initiatives have committed themselves to help girls and young women enter working life in the best possible way, while "Start Up" projects support women, who need a new private or professional beginning. The fourth prize was awarded in a public voting.

The winners of the first Schwarzkopf Million Chances Award are:

The Desert Flower Foundation (category “Build Up”), which fights the problem of genital mutilation of girls and women across the world. The foundation was founded by human rights activist Waris Dirie.
The initiative Girls’ Day (category “Move Up”), which helps girls decide on their career choice by giving them insights in to all kinds of jobs – also into jobs, which may appear as typical “male jobs”.
Social Business Women (category “Start Up”) stand up for equal opportunities for women in their working lives by offering professional orientation and also by accompanying them when e.g. starting a business.
The Public Voting winner Frauen in Bewegung, which aims to strengthen self-confidence of girls and women by teaching and training martial arts and self-defence.

The Million Chances jury is made up of:

Kathrin Menges, Executive Vice President Human Resources and Chairwoman of Henkel's Sustainability Council
Heiko-Herbert Held, Manager Corporate Citizenship at Henkel
Dr. Katarzyrna Mol-Wolf, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer “emotion”
Eva Padberg, model and actress
Dr. Marlena Robin-Winn, Founder „Norddeutsches Knochenmark- und Stammzellenspender-Register NKR“
Maike Röttger, Chief Executive Officer “Plan International Deutschland”
Nora-Vanessa Wohlert, Founder “Edition F”

The Schwarzkopf Million Chances Initiative is committed to helping girls and women with their challenges, giving them self-confidence and perspectives for their future. Since 2016, Schwarzkopf has been supporting aid projects of this kind across the world on its own initiative and in cooperation with independent organizations such as Plan International Deutschland e.V. in Colombia, Egypt and China or the social enterprise Plastic Bank in Haiti.

Million Chances Award online: https://www.schwarzkopf.de/de/highlights/award.html