'There is such stigma': Matildas star Charli Grant's entire career could have been derailed by one simple thing
Matildas defender Charli Grant knows what it means to fight for what she wants.
Born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia, she signed for Adelaide United FC just weeks after turning 18 and chased her football dreams to Sweden a few years later.
In September 2021 she made her Matildas debut and she's been playing in the green and gold ever since; when she's not with her new club Tottenham Hotspur, that is.
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Charli Grant has been a Matilda since 2021, pictured here with teammates Kyra Cooney-Cross and Katrina Gorry. Robert Cianflone/Getty
But all of that might never have happened had Grant not been born here in Australia, where something as normal as a period doesn't derail a girl's entire future.
That was made clear to her recently when she received a letter from Glory, a 13-year-old girl from Tanzania in East Africa.
It detailed how girls there are often forced to leave school when they get their first period "and never come back".
Whatever dreams they had for an education and a brighter future are lost.
"My heart went out to her," Grant told 9honey.
"There is such stigma surrounding periods, and it's quite a taboo topic in some cultures."
It's hard for many Australians to imagine how a period – a totally natural bodily function – could hold a girl back from achieving her dreams, but that's exactly what's happening to girls like Glory all over the world.
And that's why women like Grant, who has achieved so much despite the many obstacles women in sport face, was determined to do something about it.
As an ambassador for World Vision's 1000 Voice for 1000 Girls campaign, Grant is using her platform as an international sporting icon to make a difference to girls like Glory.
She's not the only one either; Aussie endurance athlete Sam Gash and former world No. 4 tennis legend Jelena Dokic have also joined the fight.
"I think as female athletes, we have an understanding of what it means to fight for recognition and equal opportunities," Grant said.
"There's a natural empathy for others facing inequality."
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Female athletes in sports around the world make significantly less than their male counterparts, yet so many of them dedicate their limited free time to charitable work.
Most work 'normal' jobs on top of training, juggle family or carer responsibilities, and could be better off financially chasing personal sponsorships and endorsements – opportunities for which remain alarmingly limited for women in many sports.
Instead, a staggering number of them spend their time off the field fighting for causes close to their hearts, from mental health causes to women's and girls' rights.
Grant suspects it comes from a place of sisterhood, a feeling of "responsibility to give back and inspire the next generation" of girls, no matter where they come from.
She was fortunate to be born and raised in Australia, where attitudes and conversations around periods have come a long way in the last 20 years.
Grant is one of many female athletes who spend their time off the field fighting for causes close to their hearts. Morgan Hancock/Getty
And while Grant, like so many female athletes, faced setbacks on her journey to joining the Matildas, she feels lucky to have had the chance to chase her dreams.
Because so many girls never get to.
World Vision was able to support Glory and other girls at her school by building clean, safe bathrooms so periods could no longer hold them back from getting an education.
But for every little girl who benefits from efforts like that, there are thousands more still struggling.
Approximately 650 million girls and women alive today were married as children, millions of them against their will.
Millions never have the chance to finish school.
Millions are physically or sexually abused.
Millions live in poverty they will never escape.
Grant is calling on all Australians to help make positive change by sponsoring a girl to help World Vision achieve its goal of 1000 girls sponsored by International Day of the Girl Child (October 11).
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Grant is supporting girls like Glory for World Vision's 1000 Voices for 1000 Girls campaign. Supplied
Sponsorship helps girls stay in school longer, boosting their future earnings by up to 25 per cent for every year they're in secondary school and increasing their chances of becoming advocates for girls' rights in the future.
Staying in school also reduces the likelihood of girls being forced into child marriage and early pregnancy, which can be deadly for some.
"It's about giving girls the opportunity to live a life free from fear and violence," Grant said.
"Something as simple as child sponsorship can completely shift her future – it means she can go to school, feel safe, advocate for herself and achieve her full potential."
Learn more about World Vision's 1000 Voice for 1000 Girls campaign and get involved here.
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