Five non-government organizations (NGOs) and non-profits are being recognized for their contributions to female empowerment in the first class of award winners of The Lady GODIVA Initiative. GODIVA, the global leader in premium chocolate, is giving these individual awards to NGOs and non-profits based in five of GODIVA’s global markets – US, Canada, UK, Belgium and China.

The 2021 recipients include Hot Bread Kitchen (US), Up With Women (Canada), #SheDIDIT (Belgium), China Women’s Development Foundation (China), and AVA: Against Violence and Abuse (UK). Whether supporting women through transformative careers in food, building a sustainable pathway out of poverty or helping to eliminate gender-based violence and abuse, these organizations are being recognized and rewarded by GODIVA for their work to both empower women and positively impact their local communities.

Each organization will receive a monetary grant to assist in furthering their work as well as global visibility and engagement of the global GODIVA community.

“GODIVA’s commitment to supporting both local and global communities, and fostering a culture that champions diversity, equity and inclusion, is at the heart of our brand,” says Nurtac Ziyal Afridi, GODIVA’s chief executive officer. “We are honored to support these inspirational organizations that are taking important steps to empower women around the world. Our employees selected these recipients based on the noble efforts each organization has taken to improve the lives of women in their communities. They deserve to be recognized and acclaimed for their valuable contributions to society.”

These grants honor the legacy of GODIVA’s namesake, Lady Godiva. In her famous equestrian mission, Lady Godiva led the way to empower the people of her community and paved a path that GODIVA continues to walk today. For more information about the Lady GODIVA Initiative, and to learn more about this year’s winners, visit GODIVA’s website.