The image depicts four women with dark skin tones wearing orange work suits and bright hairnets. They are standing together in a hall or industrial setting, with large bags of collected materials visible in the background. Metal structures and scaffolding suggest a large-scale operation.

Empowering Girls for a more equitable future

Crises, both long-standing and emerging, have disproportionately impacted girls and young women around the world. From limited access to healthcare and education to increased burdens of unpaid domestic and care work and a heightened risk of domestic violence and abuse, the consequences of conflict, climate change and humanitarian emergencies continue to cast a long shadow.

Under the motto "We Care Beyond Skin by Empowering Girls", Beiersdorf has been supporting girls and young women and their communities in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America since 2020 in collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Ashoka, CARE, and Plan International. This program embodies our commitment to champion a more inclusive society as part of our ‘Win with Care’ strategy. 

The initial goal of the program was to directly reach more than 300,000 people by 2023, and we exceeded this target, positively impacting over 400,000 individuals through our projects from 2020 to 2023. Building on this success, Beiersdorf extended its commitment to reach more than 500,000 people directly by 2025. 

The impact of our projects was confirmed through an independent evidence-based evaluation by the social impact consultancy, Wider Sense. Additionally, our projects and impact reporting approach were recognized in 2024 DAX40 study on Corporate Citizenship and featured as a case study in the UN Global Compact Netzwerk Deutschland collection.

Through its commitment to empowering girls and young women, Beiersdorf contributes to seven of the UN’s 17 sustainability goals.

 

Entrance Beiersdorf

ABOUT OUR PROJECTS

BEIERSDORF AND PLAN INTERNATIONAL PROMOTE EDUCATION AND PROTECTION ​

 

Beiersdorf and Plan International support girls and young women in Nigeria, Ghana, Vietnam, Philippines, Colombia, and Brazil to lead equal and self-determined lives. By fostering inclusive quality education and promoting protective environments, our projects aim to contribute to decreasing the risk of abuse, gender-based violence and early marriages.

Three young women from Brazil with dark skin tones pose, smiling and arm in arm, standing closely together in front of a building with greenery. They are all wearing the same dark T-shirt with colorful lettering.
© Plan International​

Support measures include language courses and mentoring programs, workshops on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as well as psychological support for survivors of violence. Awareness campaigns and parent and community meetings by Plan International further promote the importance of education and protection for girls and young women, their families, and communities.

BEIERSDORF AND CARE STRENGTHEN HEALTH SERVICES AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCE

 

CARE and Beiersdorf are working together to support girls, women and their communities in Ethiopia and Kenya, addressing long-term economic and social challenges in these countries.

The partnership aims to improve access to health care information during global crises, provide protective equipment to health facilities, and ensure that more health workers are trained in epidemic response. Through Village Saving and Loan Associations, women gain practical financial skills and tools, enabling them to support themselves and their families, build resilience, and create lasting economic stability over time.

BEIERSDORF AND ASHOKA FOSTER SOCIAL INNOVATION


Beiersdorf and Ashoka, the world’s largest network for social entrepreneurs, worked together from 2021 to 2023 to leverage innovative solutions for girls and young women in Europe. Together, they enabled leading social entrepreneurs with a focus on gender equality to scale their systemic impact and reach even more people.

© Ashoka​

Especially social entrepreneurs experienced major setbacks in their work due to the pandemic and similar crises. The approach was two-fold: Beiersdorf and Ashoka provided direct financial support to members of Ashoka’s carefully curated network of female social innovators and created a network of social entrepreneurs to strengthen synergies in gender equality. One key outcome was a manifesto to change the gender narrative.

  • A group photo of girls from Brazil posing happily in a classroom in front of a green blackboard. The group poses next to a poster on a stand with text and cartoon images depicting children.

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    In Bogotá, Colombia, for example, our partner plan international set up a safe space for young people. More than 4,000 girls and young women across the country received hygiene kits and menstrual health workshops.

  • Two women with dark skin tones and pink shirts labeled CARE are sitting next to each other in the foreground and smiling at the camera. The woman on the left is holding a bowl of cash and a pen in her hands, while the woman on the right is clutching a small notepad with a green envelope in both hands. The picture was taken outside in a meadow with trees in the background and behind the two women in the foreground, other women with dark skin tones are sitting in a semi-circle facing the women and are blurred.

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    In Kenya, more than 1,000 girls and women took part in an entrepreneurship skills training by our partner CARE. Additionally, they provided financial literacy training to over 3,400 women with focus on earning and spending, type of investments, understanding financial institutions, and risk management.

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    In Vietnam, 800 children and adolescents who are part of ethnic minorities strengthened their leadership skills, enhanced their understanding of risks and various forms of Sexual and Gender based violence as well as the cause and consequences of early marriages through the Champions of Change clubs in project schools and communities.

  • A female mechanic with dark skin tone kneeling on the floor and sorting tools in an open toolbox. The tools include various types of wrenches and other hand tools. A dark wall and various objects such as oil cans and a tire can be seen in the background. The floor is made of concrete and has various stains and soiling.

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    In Nigeria, 640 girls and young women benefited from skills training by Plan international on income-generating activities like tailoring, catering and shoe making.

  • The image depicts a scene where a person holds an open children’s book with colorful illustrations and text. The listeners are seated in a bright room, attentively observing the book. The illustrations in the book feature two characters and a car. The individual holding the book wears a dark T-shirt and has tattoos on their arms. The environment is welcoming and well-lit, with white walls and a wooden floor.

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    In Brazil, Plan International conducted dialogue sessions with more than 700 parents focusing on children’s rights, the importance of education, and positive parenting practices.

  • A blue, open box with the Plan International and Beiersdorf logos on the front. The box is in the center of a circle of people with dark skin tones sitting around the box, but they can only be guessed at because the focus is on the box and the rest is blurred.

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    In many African communities, together with our partners Plan International and CARE, we supported the creation of Village Savings & Loan Associations and Youth Saving and Loan Association, where local people and youth come together to save small amounts of their income and lend to others in their group when needed.

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    From 2020 to 2023, Beiersdorf also joined forces with Ashoka. During the project period, Ashoka Fellow Agata Teutsch and her Autonomia and Juniper foundations trained over 30 multipliers in the “WenDo” self-defense methodology. Thanks to the “WenDo” courses 500 girls and women learned how to set boundaries, make decisions and stand up for themselves.

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