When Maíra Liguori was a girl, she would spend hours playing games with her friends in the streets of Atibaia, a rural town near Sao Paulo, Brazil. A committed and creative leader, Maíra made it her mission to provide sporting opportunities for Brazilian girls to experience the beauty, freedom, and peace that she felt growing up.

As the innovation director at Think Olga, an NGO focused on combatting gender discrimination in Brazil, Maíra has launched an online platform that allows girls and young women to connect and play sports. Using this digital tool, women who feel uncomfortable or unsafe exercising on their own or in public can meet and socialize while engaging in physical activity. As a long-time communications professional, she is also passionate about using social media and video to promote women’s empowerment campaigns in communities throughout Sao Paulo. “Many girls don’t understand how powerful they are,” Maíra says. “When you’re conscious of your own power it can push the agenda of change for women. I want to show women that sports can bring personal growth and autonomy.” Because of her tireless efforts, Maíra was named to the BBC’s 100 Inspirational and Innovative Women list in 2017.