Marina LeGree is the Founder and Executive Director of Ascend Athletics, a nonprofit organization that has been empowering girls in Afghanistan since 2014. The organization’s athletic-based leadership training gives Afghan girls the tools to discover their potential. Through mountain climbing achievements and community activism, these girls learn how to become leaders and role models.

In this episode…

How can sports transform lives? What can you do to empower young athletes — especially those who are looking to escape desperate situations?

Meet Marina LeGree, who has dedicated her career to empowering girls in Afghanistan through her nonprofit organization, Ascend Athletics. Ascend uses sports to build leadership skills and teamwork. Marina teaches girls that they’re not property — they deserve to follow their own path.

On this episode of the Sports Up podcast, Meredith Syms is joined by Marina LeGree, the Founder and Executive Director of Ascend Athletics, to discuss how Ascend is empowering girls in Afghanistan through sports. Marina talks about why she chose Afghanistan to build her program, how Ascend is transforming the way Afghan girls see themselves, and how those girls have been impacted by the recent Taliban takeover.