ISL 2022 - Supporting evidence

Supporting Evidence

May 2022 1|Page

Supporting evidence Email testimonial Josephine Daka, Zambia Country Director for Mothers Without Borders Dear JESS, Greetings I would love to express gratitude on behalf of the kids, staff and indeed myself for the visit from the above mentioned team, love shown and material support donated especially the reusable sanitary kits, Sewing machines and sport items.

Prior to the visit, a communication link was established via phone to decide on activities to be done while here.

The team arrived on 1 May 2022 and spent three days at our facility.

Activities included team bonding games of songs ,dance and bull dog, the visiting girls taught my girls who are at puberty stagehand to use the sanitary kits and they also held small group discussions where a lot of questions were asked.

Each girl received two sanitary pads and they LOVE them.A big THANKYOU for helping us to save some money from buying the disposable pads.

The team also left us extra sanitary kits which we have since distributed to 388 girls in our Be That Girl Programme. In addition, four sewing machines were donated and the boys taught the girls at the facility to sew the pads.

The girls are now able to sew but the fabric is soon going to run out which will affect the process. It's our hope and prayer that Julia, Louisa and the team could help with this.

Later we were visited by a representative from Parrogate company called Emmanuel who came to see the work that the team had done. He promised to hire the girls and women from the nearby villages.

The period empowerment will help support this as this entails there will be jobs for the girls when we graduate them from our care which has been a huge challenge.

One of the girls on the team Charlotte worked hours with our boy Bernard who lost his foot at age five from a snake bite to take measurements so a cast can be made for him by a doctor in Dubai.

My girls are extremely empowered with the knowledge and sanitary pads that they received. The friendships built were strong and it was such a happy time to see friends from across come to them despite being in an Orphanage .

We sure look forward to a continued relationship. May God bless you.

Josephine Daka, Zambia Country Director

Mothers Without Borders

Love works and it's the only thing that does!

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Letter testimonial Lion Augusto, Lions Clubs International Middle East

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Testimonial Julia Richardson, CAS Coordinator at JESS Never underestimate the power of a school project!

Having overseen The Period Empowerment Project evolve over the past three years has been truly a career defining moment, yet moreover how this project has grown and its success in helping 800 women in Zambia, and to lead a team of dedicated students to Zambia has been astonishing. The journey of this project to date is incredible and will astonish you reading this. It has been life changing for these teenage girls in Zambia and ourselves.

2500 towels were made again this year and were distributed to 800 women and teenage girls in Zambia. The team personally gave out their towels and at the same time explained how to use, which was the pinnacle of this project. We will never forget their faces of happiness nor forget how they explained how it would make a difference to them. Having their own sanitary wear is life changing for the teenage girls and women in rural areas. Its provision will enable them to attend school and work, thus boosting their educational achievements and being able to perform as well as their male counterparts. Moreover, seeing the team teach the teenage girls in Zambia how to sew was mind blowing. These girls soon picked up the skill and began teaching others. Furthermore, when a Zambian company had heard of our project, and ‘loved it’ Emmanuel Mbewe CEO of Parrogate Group, met myself and the team in Zambia to express how they wanted to help. They provided soap, underwear and also created a contract to employ them girls and young women in rural villages in their factories in Lusaka from the orphanage Mothers Without Borders. That was nothing but magical.

The project began in 2019 as ‘period poverty’ by 3 females who wanted to make sustainable sanitary towels to provide to girls in developing countries to overcome period poverty. The students relied on material donations from parents and began their labour of love, making sanitary wear. Yet the project grew at an alarming rate. Parents not only wanted to donate materials but they wanted to help sew, the team therefore set up weekly sewing mornings for parents so they could volunteer their efforts. The rest of the school wanted to be involved and thus the team created sessions for PSHE days where they would organise all the materials, distribute them and created mass production lines so that year groups were able to cut the towels, sew the towels, cut linen, and sew the sanitary kits together. During these PSHE days the team delivered lessons on the global stigma that is period poverty and how making sanitary towels could help females escape their poverty.

A radio interview captured the hearts and interest of the wider community in Dubai who evidently wanted to be part of this project. Companies reached out to the team and were happy to donate materials as they believed, like ourselves, this was a project that could make a difference. Companies came into school, saw the team present and were on board. The team have had materials donated by large hotels in the middle East that enabled them to reduce their waste. The second year saw 2500 towels being made over the course of 2 years.

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The team passed on their CAS project to a new team in 2021 (as they left for university) and this team had been inspired by the previous team and had been involved in the sewing clubs they had organised. This new team that consisted of 4 males and 6 females have driven this project forward. They developed it into ‘The Period Empowerment Project’ believing that naming the project period poverty was associated with negative connotations. They developed short and long term aims that ensured the project was more than making and giving sanitary wear, but to create employment opportunities from this, to empower these females int he developing world, to educate students at JESS and females in the developing world on how to overcome this social taboo. They believe that education is key to effectively address period poverty. They created a logo which revitalised and branded the project. They reached out to numerous companies. Linen Obsession provided expertise on the materials and thus one of the leaders created her very own innovative, hygienic, sanitary pad that is unique and incorporated waste reduction strategies. It was a much improved and innovative pad compared to the previous one.

They marketed their project via the @jessdubaicas Instagram account and soon companies again took notice. They presented to a number of companies who wanted to provide financial support ,yet at the time, we had no official fundraising platform to do so.

By luck, The Lions Association had loved and followed out school project, and cleared a way for the new team to officially fundraise with approval from the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, using the platform Yalla Give under licence number 4527.

This was ground breaking news for JESS as it unlocked many doors for our students to lead a number of initiatives as well as fundraise for this project.

The students will hand made a quota of the towels and the fundraising of 45,000 AED went to outsource extra to local tailors. Upscaling production meant the project will reach a greater number of females and deliver more of a significant impact. The fundraising enabled the team to buy 4 sewing machines and materials sourced in Zambia, which they taught the teenage girls and women in rural villages how to sew.

The main success of this project to date has been the overwhelming support displayed by the school and wider Dubai community. Their efforts have enabled the team to fund raise 45,000 AED that outsourced further sanitary towels and provide underwear and sewing machines to females in Zambia. We could not have done this without their support. They would never have supported us had it not been for the energy, enthusiasm and drive of these students leading this remarkable school project.

The provision of sanitary towels enables females to attend school and achieve as well as their male counterparts, boosting equity. Yet the project aims to deliver more than sanitary wear, thus long term aims are to empower women by creating employment.

This projects journey has been incredible, and loved by the school and wider community. It will be a CAS legacy project for JESS as younger years are inspired to take the project further each year. Myself and Louisa McGauley who oversee the team will ensure they continue to work with the external companies and build on the success of this project and improve the areas that need developing.

Julia Richardson CAS Coordinator JESS Dubai

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Student Testimonials If I had to summarize the trip to Zambia for the Period Empowerment Project in a few words, I would say ‘life-changing’. I don’t think I will ever forget the sense of pride and accomplishment I had, finally distributing the pads to the girls. Seeing them hold the pads in their own hands made me realise the true impact we had created as a project, for not only the girls, but also for their futures. I feel that the trip has had an impact on me too, helping me develop so many valuable skills, such as leadership, communication, and perseverance.

For me, one of the highlights of the trip was arriving at Mothers Without Borders in Lusaka for the first time and seeing all the children that we had come all the way from Dubai to help.

Stepping off the bus, we were filled with excitement, and we headed into the office to meet Josephine and Elizabeth, the women in charge of the orphanage/school. It was amazing to finally meet them in person after months of liaising with them online, and they were so excited for us to work with them and the kids. We introduced ourselves to the kids and played games with them to break the ice, and immediately we started to get to know the kids, creating bonds with them.

We worked with the kids for the next few days. Whilst the girls of the project taught the girls about menstrual health and the importance of hygiene, myself and the rest of the boys taught the girls how to sew and how to make the pads. This was extremely important, so the girls would be able to make pads for themselves and future kids after we had left. On top of this, the orphanage had a problem whereby kids who had left the orphanage would come back after failing to get jobs. This is why teaching the girls to sew was so valuable, as we were providing them with the skills necessary to obtain jobs and have stable futures.

When we were in Zambia, we met with a company called ETG Parrogate, a company involved in mining, cotton, and oil refinement, as well as producing a line of food products in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. They were inspired by our project and made a large donation to the project, as well as buying soap and underwear for the girls in Mothers Without Borders. On top of this, they pledged to provide jobs to the girls in the orphanage if they continued sewing, and that is when I realised the true impact of our hard work, as we had successfully reached our long-term aim of empowering women and fighting gender inequality. The moment we informed Josephine about the job opportunities was so emotional. Upon hearing the news, she broke down and we were all overwhelmed by the impact that we had created. That moment is one that I will not forget for my entire life.

I’m so grateful that I had the chance to go to Zambia with the project, as I have been a part of this project since 2019, so going to Zambia and seeing the fruits of my labour with my own eyes was such a rewarding and moving experience. I started in 2019 by helping to sew and make the pads and then I became a leader of the project in mid-2021. Over the past couple of months, I have devoted so much passion and hard work to the project in multiple ways, such as helping create the new pad design, working with multiple external companies such as Emirates, Clyde & Co, and Jumeirah Group to fulfil the potential of the project, and creating both the project logo and trip video. Despite the time and hard work that it has taken, I know for a fact I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have built upon so many skills such as leadership and overall, the experience has made me fall in love with both the project, and humanitarian work in general. It has made me realise that I would love to continue with this type of work in the future, continuing to empower women and communities all around the world. By Conor Brennan Batory

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I joined JESS this year as a new student and when I heard about the Period Empowerment Project, I saw it as an opportunity to help make a difference in someone else’s life. I was inspired to be part of a team that was leading an initiative to destigmatize the taboo surrounding menstrual health and female hygiene. The pads that we manufactured and produced were reusable, meaning the girls could rely on them for a long period of time as opposed to the more common single use pads we find today. This was important as we wanted to have a long lasting impact and support the girls during their monthly cycle long after the end of our visit. As a team we were able to work with many companies who kindly funded our project, enabling us to upscale our production and further develop the products.

I also had the opportunity to work in marketing and spread awareness of our project to the school community as well as the wider community living in Dubai. This was a huge success and we were able to raise over 40,000 dirhams through our fundraising link. Whilst in Zambia we worked with two different charities: The African Impact project and Mothers without Borders, providing them with reusable sanitary wear as well as hosting sessions on menstrual hygiene and the importance of consent. Working with these two charities over the 8 days was an eye-opening experience and heavily impacted me. My most memorable moment of the trip was when we left Mothers without Boarders and Julie, one of the girls I had gotten close to and bonded over RNB music with, thanked us and said, “we will teach the other girls in the community what you have taught us, what you have done for us will go a really long way, we are very grateful, and we love you”. My eyes quickly filled with tears, and it was at that moment that I realised the impact that we had on the girls. When leaving, the girls asked when we would be coming back, my mind instantly went to all the possible opportunities in which we could return in the future with hopefully even more to offer. This trip will be a lifetime memory that I will never forget. By Kiki Bedier

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As I initially took on the project, I felt that the least I could do was attempt to make a difference to a society that does not have the same privileges that I was born with. I wanted my efforts over the course of the year to make an impact on lives in some way or another, even more when it came to an aspect of my life I took for granted. It felt like a project I could finally put my heart and soul into: breaking the taboo around the topic of periods, providing menstrual education in order to create awareness, and learning the skills I needed in order to work with a team and achieve our common goal.

When the project was still in it’s production stages, I drove the community aspect of it, setting up and running clubs for younger years, our peers, as well as parents. After the shock of Covid-19, getting as much of the school community involved was extremely important, as this was not just a women’s issue, but a global issue. We taught students in Year 7 not just how to make the pad itself, but delivered menstrual education as well – our first step on our path to breaking the stigma. Older students initially joined the club in order to complete their various qualifications, but were quickly telling us how much they enjoyed and understood the core of the project, hoping to carry it forward when they reached the Sixth Form and our current team’s efforts simply remained in the school as a legacy project Reaching Zambia was not without it’s struggles, but we persevered, eventually arriving at our destinations. We immediately understood why we had been working so tirelessly for so many months when we entered the orphanage. Although a bit timid at first, the girls listened to the presentations we delivered on women’s’ menstrual cycle and hygiene, as well as how to use the sanitary towels we had brought for them. The stigma around periods were still prevalent in the large group, but quickly filtered away when we split into smaller groups to give them an opportunity to ask questions about their bodies. They were able to gain a deeper understanding into their own bodies, as well as become self-sustainable and care for themselves on their periods. When it was time to leave, we were awed by the touching speech given by one of the girls at the orphanage, assuring us they would carry their learning forward and create a better future for the younger girls. It was a hard goodbye, and we promised to return soon.

At the school we visited, we clearly saw a disparity, with the girls quickly raising their hands to eagerly answer any questions we asked. The room was void of shame, which spurred us to include more information, and once again reinforce that having a period was normal and healthy. We used diagrams to explain in detail what occurs inside our bodies, and were pleasantly surprised with how engaged the girls were in both the education, as well as the enthusiasm displayed when learning about how to use the pad. As there were only a limited number of girls able to use our kits at that given time, we left more for women in the large nearby village, who received them later that week.

Our long-term aim is to eradicate period poverty, turning our normal bodily functions into something that empowers us instead. By leading this project and managing to deliver both education and our pads to the girls in Zambia, we hope that we will have made a small difference in their lives. Moving forward, we hope that the next generation of girls will also feel empowered through the skills we have taught them, continuing to break the stigma surrounding periods. By AASHITA CHATURVEDY

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Upon my return from Zambia, I have been given the privilege to understand the impact we have made on the lives of these young girls. I was fortunate enough to deliver life changing news to the leader of the orphanage we were working with in Lusaka – her audible gasp will forever remain in my minds. We were able to secure employment opportunities for the teenage girls, when they are finished with their schooling. Having met one of long term aims, upon our first trip to Zambia is a huge testament to the efforts taken by the team over the last 2 years. We were able to provide the girls with menstrual education, which was perceived very helpful and meaningful, as when we broke into smaller groups – all the girls were extremely comfortable talking to us about any and everything period related. I believe we have deeply impacted not only their lives, but also their outlook on life; we have empowered them to continue their education and facilitated for them to continue to create a secure future. We believe through the help of our project; we can try to diminish the inequality these girls are facing by providing them access to sustainable reusable sanitary towels. We provided the orphanages in Zambia with sewing machines and educate the girls on how to use them. With this information we are hopeful that they are able to become self-sustainable and make the towels for themselves.

I wanted to get involved in this project because it was a great opportunity to make an impact in the world. The fact that these girls are deprived an education because they are unable to access sanitary wear, is horrific – due to this they are not able to achieve as well as their male counterparts. Period poverty is a global humanitarian issue that needs to be addressed in every small or big way possible. Through the project, my role was to oversee the overall project to ensure our objectives were reached. I was heavily involved with the development of our fundraising platform with Yalla Give. Additionally, I was responsible for raising awareness for the project, through presenting in assemblies and various extracurricular activites. I was also able to provide input for the logo design and color scheme. By JAHANA KHARAS

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Period Poverty impacts approximately 500 million girls around the world and as a result of not having adequate menstrual wear they miss countless schooldays placing them behind their male counterparts. This didn’t sit right with me, and I knew I had to do something to help. I especially wanted to get involved since the taboo is generally addressed from a female perspective however in order to fully address the issue, we need to have these conversations regardless of gender. The stigma around periods needs to be broken down since it is a natural process which half of the population experience on a monthly basis.

Providing these girls with the towels enables them to go to school and become the next doctor, engineer, or president. By getting involved I feel a huge sense of pride in knowing that I am altering these girls lives for the better.

I always knew that I would be making a huge impact on the girls in Zambia, however it wasn’t until the trip where I was able to understand the profound impact that we had made on these girls. Handing out the pads and teaching the girls how to sew was an experience second to none, witnessing how excited the girls were to learn how to be selfsustainable and create the towels themselves, was an experience like no other.

Through the project, we have had the privilege of working and liaising with many external companies, however the one that I am most grateful for is ETG Parrogate. The company was able to guarantee employment for the underprivileged girls in the orphanages once they left. I was lucky enough to be in the room when we delivered the news to the director of Mother’s Without Borders. Witnessing her reaction as she broke into tears will be a day I will never forget. It was here where I truly realized how big of an impact we had made on these girls' lives.

The trip has definitely made me more resilient, empathetic, and caring; the project has sparked my interest in humanitarian aid work, and I know that I will want to continue these endeavors into my professional career. By TOM MARKEY

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The undeniably profound moment that I saw the look of gratefulness on the young girls’ faces, I had realized that what I had done was such a small act but impacted their lives in such an influential way.

The Period Empowerment Project is a project that I lead with my peers. The initiate of this project is to try and break the stigma around periods while helping women around the world gain clean sanitary wear since they don’t have access to it. We try and reduce period poverty and initiate this by creating re-usable pads and giving them to the women in dignity kits, which builds woman empowerment in areas most needed.

I recently went to Zambia for the Period Empowerment project where the pads that we made were distributed. We worked with an orphanage called Mothers without Borders and a charity called African Impact. In Lusaka, we went to the Mothers without Borders orphanage and saw their lifestyle, communicated with the girls and learnt more on their lives. I couldn’t feel anything but sympathy and pride. It reminded me why I lead this project. Their way of life was something I could never have imagined and the idea that these girls were still so content and happy was an inspiration. They don’t have to be in the greatest conditions, but they are grateful and carefree.

We spoke to the girls on periods and introduced how it is important to stay hygienic. It was wonderful to see how they were keen to learn. We taught them how to sew, and they enjoyed it more than expected. They were willing to grasp more knowledge and were enthusiastic about it. After, we even danced with the girls and being in the moment, I realized how much we must mean to these girls. We worked with external companies for guidance, but I was fortunate enough to bring in a company known as “ETG” Parrogate. I spoke to them about our goals and aims. To our surprise, they donated the project 25,000 kwachas alongside soaps and underwear. We were beyond grateful of this. Although, what stood out the most and was the highlight of the trip for me was that ETG Parrogate met with Mothers without borders and secured jobs for the girls after their education. The moment we heard this, we were astonished. This was one of our long-term aims and having fulfilled it in our first trip, was an encouragement that we are changing these girls’ lives for the better. This experience was something that I will forever hold with me and the impact this project made was unforgettable. Although, when bidding farewell, it was emotional and heartfelt. These girls changed my life more than imaginable.

I had bonded with these girls in such a short span of time that I felt a sense of enlightenment that I had gained such a strong learning. This is why it was so difficult saying goodbye since the girls meant more to me than I would have ever expected and will always hold a special place in my life. By Mrinalini (Mikku)

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My name is William, Di Pietro and I am a leader of the Period Empowerment project. My role has been the finance and business leader. I was initially drawn to this project as it looked like the most interesting CAS project in my year, the more I got more involved in the project the more I got passionate about it and truly understood the seriousness of period poverty and how my intervention as part of the team could change a person’s life.

The extensive research that the team has made both around the stigma of female menstrual cycles and the short-term goals we had set, we were able to redesign a sustainable, reusable sanitary pad. As a team we realized that if we were to make a difference in someone’s life we had to take this project to the next level from Period Poverty to Period Empowerment, this long term and major challenge took us down the path of having to understand the industrial manufacturing of our sanitary pads and this furthermore generated interest and passion for this project. Not only was I part of a team that manufactured the sanitary pads, and therefore participated in the distribution of these pads in rural areas of Zambia advocating and bringing awareness about the stigma around female periods. The aspect of this project that has completely changed my point of view from a humanitarian perspective is the fact that the long-term objective which we have set, is to teach and empower women in Africa to make the sanitary pads themselves and become economically self-sustainable. I personally think that this is the fundamental aspect of changing a person’s life and I strongly believe that we have a humanitarian obligation to touch somebody’s life and give them an opportunity. The experience we had in Zambia has not only given me a broader perspective of the needs of African underprivileged people but has deeply taught me how to approach and create an effective humanitarian project. I have thoroughly enjoyed my interaction with the girls we taught how to sew, and I think that the same passion I have achieved will have to be transmitted and transferred to the year groups to come. We have made a difference for some and want to continue to make a difference for many. By William, Di Pietro

Supporting photography Please find a link to a Flickr album that supports this application and captures the impact that this Period empowerment project has had on our students and the wider community. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzRgC6

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@JESSDubai

JESS Dubai

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