2021 S H E Annual Review

2021 Annual Review

THANK YOU. As we reflect on a truly amazing year, we are reminded of you, the incredible individuals who have joined the S H E community to make our work possible. You've invested in our mission, provided space for us to grow and evolve, and championed our vision for four amazing years, and we simply cannot thank you enough for that.

Throughout the challenges of the global pandemic, we've been so fortunate to continue increasing our student enrollment, creating more dignified jobs for women, and gaining clarity in our approach, all because of this growing S H E community.

Our approach evolved tremendously to serve girls in rural Togo when we added 20 village partners to our program in 2020. The increased challenges of serving our rural communities have added great importance to our work. Knowing that just 33% of rural girls in Togo continue to Junior High School shows that there is so much work yet to be done. But the progress our students have achieved in just one year is astounding. With S H E students achieving an average pass rate across all our partner communities of 95%, we are incredibly encouraged for the future. And it's evident that our communities share our deep belief in the power and potential of their girls and women.

It's one of the greatest honors of my life to be part of this incredible team of women and to serve the girls in our program who are the very definition of resilience, determination, and courage. Truly, we thank you for continuing to empower our team and invest in this important, impactful work. We hope you're as moved by this year as we are.

With tremendous gratitude,

Payton McGriff Payton McGriff, Founder

CONTENTS 2021 Impact Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.

Our Purpose and Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.

Where We Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5.

Girls' Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.

Women's Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11.

Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15.

The S H E Uniform That Grows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16.

Impact Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20.

Financials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21.

Donor Acknowledgement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23.

Our Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24.

1.

2021 impact at a glance

With the unwavering support of our global community and dedication of our Togolese team, we achieved our most impactful year of work to date.

1,500 girls in school with new school uniforms, fulltuition scholarships, school supply kits, and year-round support

21 communities served This year, we served 20 rural villages surrounding our Notse, Togo headquarters

95% student pass rate Our hard-working students achieved the second-highest pass rate in program history

30 women employed (29 in Togo) with salaries above living wage, adult education, and tailored benefits

1 new women's cooperative Our first cooperative launched in the rural village of Kpove, employing 8 women full-time

5,000 menstrual pads Our innovative reusable pads are made with fabric scraps that we divert from incineration

2.

Our puprose S H E believes in a world where all girls and women can do more than survive, they can flourish. Why? Because when women rise, we all rise.

It's no secret that communities who invest in their girls and women become safer, more prosperous, and more stable. However, the international development community has long struggled to create lasting change. At S H E, we focus our work on three main barriers that prevent girls and women from flourishing long-term: limited access to education for girls, lack of employment opportunities for women, and climate change.

Our holistic approach 01. GIRLS' EDUCATION We help girls break down their own barriers to education with new school uniforms, full-tuition scholarships, menstrual supplies, and year-round support from our local team of women.

02. WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT We create dignified jobs for seamstresses from low-income and loweducation backgrounds. 100% of our products are made by women in the communities we serve.

03. SUSTAINABILITY We make innovative products like our S H E school uniforms that grow and reusable menstrual pads that are better for girls, women and the planet.

3.

4.

Where we work

Togo, Africa The S H E program started in 2017 in the small town of Notsé, Togo. Togo is a beautiful country known widely for its rich cultural history and entrepreneurial women. However, Togo is also one of the lowest ranking countries in the world for gender equality and human development.

The average education level for girls in rural Togo is just 2 - 3 years, with only 33% of girls advancing to junior high school in 2017.

Poverty remains the largest barrier to education for students in Togo. With roughly 69% of rural Togo living on less than $1.90 per day, poverty disproportionately affects girls living in rural communities.

our rural partner communities Our focus on rural Togo enables us to serve areas where the barriers are highest for girls and women. In the last two years, we've joined forces with 20 rural villages who share our belief in the power of girls and women to create lasting change in their communities. We especially thank each of our partner communities for their commitment and work to uplift girls across Togo.

1. Notsé

6. Bitoka

11. Mangotigomé

16. Havouko

2. Dzidzolé

7. Avovo-kpopé

12. Kpové

17. Kpélé

3. Rodokpé

8. Avassikpé Gan

13. Djemeni

18. Atsidomé

4. Agbatitoe

9. Avassikpé Vi

14. Djekloe-Atitsohoe A 19. Todomé-Atimabizo

5. Akoesso-Kopé

10. Tsavé

15. Djidomé

20. Atchavé 21. Attitsohoe

5.

girls' education

Starts with a school uniform . . . that grows If you've followed our journey, you know that our story started with a school uniform. Required school uniforms represent the largest financial barrier to education for girls in Togo and throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa.

When we realized our girls were continually outgrowing their uniforms throughout the school year, we started to design the world's only school uniform that grows.

Now, the S H E uniform grows six sizes and up to one foot in length, enabling girls to wear their uniform for up to 3 years without the worry of outgrowing it. In 2021, all 1,500 students in our program received the new edition of the S H E uniform with their sponsorship.

6.

and year-round support Empowerment is much more than new supplies and school uniforms. In addition to the financial support provided to each girl at S H E, our local team of women provides year-round skills training, mentoring, tutoring, and support in our after-school programs. Students in Notsé meet twice per week at our office to participate in a wide variety of lessons.

For students who live in our remote partner villages, we're continuously adapting our programming to fit their unique needs. In 2021, our staff visited our partner villages to host educational workshops on topics like feminine hygiene, girls' rights, and skills training. Our Togo team is building relationships with school teachers and administrators with the long-term goal of establishing locally-led after school programs for S H E girls to meet more regularly.

Emilie, 13 years old Both my parents live in Ghana and I live in Togo with my aunt. I am one of 4 children.

I am so moved by the support that S H E gives me. Especially when I find myself in my new dress, I feel so proud.

I love being in S H E, and I want her to support me until I finish my studies because I dream of being a midwife someday.

7.

our impact - Taking a closer look We closely monitor the success rates of our students to ensure our program is adding real substance and value to their lives. When we launched our rural programs, we knew that only 33% of girls in rural Togo successfully complete elementary school and continue to junior high school. This disparity was extremely evident in one of our partner communities, Mangotigomé, where only 3 out of 80 girls were still enrolled by the sixth grade.

With this context in mind, we weren't sure just how large the barriers truly were or how long it would take to begin making progress for girls. However, we were completely blown away by the mutual investment of our partner communities. Parents, teachers, and school administrators were present at every single workshop, and it quickly became clear that the overwhelming majority of our communities didn't lack belief in their girls, they simply lacked the resources to support their highest potential.

The success our students achieved over the last year is not only a testament to their hard work and dedication, it's a beautiful representation of the power of this partnership approach.

S H E student pass rate by village We're so proud of our students' achievements, and we'll continue improving our monitoring to most efficiently allocate resources and support to the girls we serve.

9.

Notsé

99%

Mangotigomé

99%

Dzidzolé

99%

Kpové

92%

Rodokpé

100%

Djemeni

92%

Agbatitoe

98%

Djekloe-Atitsohoe

88%

Akoesso-Kopé

100%

Bitoka

100%

Djidomé Havouko

88% 98%

Avovo-kopé

99%

Kpélé

89%

Avassikpé Gan

97%

Atsidomé

97%

Avassikpé Vi

98%

Todome-Atimabizo

100%

Tsavé

94%

Atchavé

95%

Attitsohoe

95%

student enrollment and success over the years When we expanded into rural Togo, we expected our student pass rate to closely reflect the 33% national average. We were absolutely overjoyed when our students achieved a 95% pass rate with 149 of our 175 sixth graders passing their national exams.

Student Enrollment

Pass Rate

1,500

1,500 girls

1,180 girls

1,000

TBD in 2022

95%

500

97%

20 21 -2 02 2

20 18 -2 01 9

85%

20 17 -2 01 8

0

93%

20 19 -2 02 0

65 girls

180 girls

20 20 -2 02 1

150 girls

10.

women's employment

why women's employment is so important Our second pillar, Women's Employment, was formed in 2017 when we hired local seamstresses to produce the first batch of our school uniforms. After learning the stories of these talented seamstresses, we realized there was an entire generation of women in Togo who were denied an education as children and lacked alternative pathways to empowerment.

Togolese women are known for their entrepreneurial spirit, however, the literacy rate among women in Togo is just 51.74%, making it extremely difficult for women to do things like participate in the formal economy, open bank accounts, or even read the instructions on their children's medications. Knowing there were extremely limited options for women without an education, we developed a paid-to-learn employment model that not only provides a stable income for women, it addresses the complex barriers that prevent women from flourishing.

11.

our paid-to-learn model We believe it's not just about getting women to work in jobs, it's about getting jobs to work for women. We've intentionally developed our paid-to-learn employment model to uplift women from low-income and low-education backgrounds who work as seamstresses in our sustainable factories. We guarantee salaries above living wage, paid time for adult education, and carefully curated benefits that ensure all women can thrive in and outside the workplace.

Paid time devoted to adult education

No more than 40 hour work weeks

Salaries above living wage (Our average seamstress salary is 75% higher than Togo's minimum wage)

Paid sick leave

3-month paid maternity leave

Childcare benefits

Abla S H E seamstress since 2019 Before coming to S H E, I struggled to be in the company of others. I would say I felt ashamed of myself and I felt a strong sense of inferiority. But after a couple of years at S H E, my life has changed in every way.

Today, I can stay among people and even speak without feeling afraid. On the financial side, I am now totally independent and even able to support others. People call me all the time to ask what I have done to change my life, and I tell them proudly that I work at S H E. I've earned it.

12.

s h e cooperatives In 2021, we grew our team to employ 29 women in Togo. A large part of this growth was achieved through the launch of our first S H E Cooperative in our rural partner village, Kpové. Our goal for the S H E Cooperative program is to bring jobs to rural women in the form of small, sustainable factories where S H E products are made.

We began a 3-month pilot program with 8 talented women in Kpové in September 2021. We set a lofty goal of training our new seamstresses to sew 200 S H E uniforms per month. However, in the first 3 weeks, they'd already completed more than 230 uniforms! With the evident success of the program, we extended the project through 2022, and we can't wait to build more S H E cooperatives in rural communities throughout Togo.

With a median education level of 1 - 2 years upon hire, our seamstress are breaking cycles of generational poverty and paving a new path to empowerment for themselves and for their communities.

Akouvi S H E Cooperative member I love my job at S H E. After my sewing apprenticeship, I could not even earn enough to feed myself. But now, with my job at S H E, I've started saving my money and I'm even opening a bank account. I have been trying to save 70% of my salary and only spend 30%, and next year, my mother and I will see if we can purchase a piece of land.

13.

My prayer is that our S H E Cooperative continues forever and this work extends to even the most remote villages because apart from field work, there really are not other opportunities for women.

employment through the years In 2021, we grew our team to 30 women (29 in Togo, 1 in the United States). Of our 30 women employed, 22 women are now in full-time, salaried positions.

Women Employed

Full-time Positions

30 20

30

10 0

19

12

6

12

5

3

2018

22

2019

2020

2021 14.

sustainability

how we define sustainability At S H E, environmental sustainability is of the highest importance because climate change disproportionately impacts women in Togo and around the world. Girls and women are responsible for the majority of household chores like collecting water, gathering firewood, cooking, cleaning, etc. As fresh water and firewood become increasingly scarce, girls and women are walking farther distances and facing more negative health effects in order to survive.

It's long been known that the apparel industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. To reduce our environmental impact, we thoughtfully design and manufacture products that are better for girls, women, and the planet. We recycle 100% of our fabric waste, and we specifically curate our manufacturing process to reduce our energy use.

In 2021, we provided 1,500 zero-waste S H E school uniforms and recycled nearly 1,000 pounds of fabric waste into reusable menstrual pads.

15.

our sustainable products Our sustainability journey started when we discovered that girls were outgrowing their required school uniforms several times throughout the year, multiplying the financial barriers already preventing girls from staying in school and creating unnecessary fabric waste.

Unable to find a solution in the market, we started redesigning our school uniforms to last longer and create zero fabric waste. In 2021, we launched the newest edition of the S H E uniforms for our 1,500 students. This dress expands six sizes and up to a foot in length and is designed to grow with a girl over a total of 3 years. (Plus, it now has pockets!)

the S H E Uniform

The world's only school uniform that grows.

What makes the S H E uniform special?

expands 6 sizes in the arms, chest, and waist & creates a tailored fit at every stage of growth pockets

hidden layers of velcro allow the dress to grow up to 12" in length!

16.

EDUCATING GIRLS IS NO LONGER AN OPTION, IT'S A NECESSITY. - FAWZI, S H E DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

17.

reusable menstrual pads Providing safe, reusable menstrual supplies and health education are two of our most important initiatives because girls around the world are most likely to drop out of school when they reach puberty due to a lack of menstrual supplies, lack of bathroom facilities, or lack of clean water to maintain proper sanitation. As part of her sponsorship at S H E, every girl receives a new menstrual kit.

We take all fabric scraps from our own manufacturing process and transform them into reusable menstrual pads for our students. In 2021, we launched a new partnership with an amazing company in Ghana, Global Mamas, who employs women to make beautiful batik apparel. Global Mamas donated close to 1,000 pounds of organic cotton fabric scraps to our program, and our seamstresses have produced 5,000 pads and counting with Global Mamas fabric.

building our social business model We also define sustainability as our responsibility to develop the most resilient business model to ensure our impact is long-lasting. Being a 501c3 nonprofit empowers us to focus the greatest amount of energy and your donation dollars on creating impact in the lives of the girls and women we serve. Earning revenue through our responsible manufacturing ensures we can sustain our work long-term and further promote independence in our communities.

In addition to S H E products, we also design and produce sustainable products for businesses around the world. Our business-to-business manufacturing is a strategic decision that allows us to scale more efficiently, balance the seasonality of school uniform production, and increase long-term employment numbers for our women. In 2021, we developed products for our amazing partners at Naturally Salon and Saalt, and we're so excited for you to see these beautiful S H E-made products launch in stores in 2022.

innovating circular products In 2022, we're not only expanding our menstrual health program to more women and girls throughout our communities, we're also expanding our recycled product catalog.

While we can't say much about the coming products yet, here's a sneak peek at what's in development at S H E headquarters.

18.

impact summary fawziyat sani, development director Each year, we choose a theme for our work at S H E. This year, as we were touring our villages and planning the vision of S H E, I started just saying 'S H E is special. S H E is special.' But even I couldn't understand exactly what that meant or why I felt the urge to say it. As time went on though, I met more of our students, I listened to the stories of our seamstresses, and I started to realize how much has changed in my own life since I started working at S H E in 2018.

And then I started to say 'S H E is special... because S H E changed my life.'

As a women-run company, we are not only building the mission of S H E, we are benefitting from it at the same time. As all of us work to empower girls and women across the world, we find empowerment for ourselves. And that is what makes S H E so special.

When I think back over the last year of S H E, I am reminded of so many special moments. I watched our students put on their new school uniforms for the first time and immediately hold their heads so high. I watched our parents experience relief and show so much pride for their daughters. I opened the first S H E cooperative in Kpove and watched women who thought they would never work for a company like S H E sign their first paychecks. I watched our seamstresses run into the ocean for the first time and experience pure joy at our first team retreat. I watched so proudly as Akouto, one of our Notse seamstresses, spoke in front of one hundred people in her home village about her work at S H E, and then I smiled so big as dozens of women ran to her afterwards to show her how proud they are. I watched Elolo go from being our first sponsored student to become a full-time employee at S H E, and now she's saving to remodel her family home.

And I also entered villages where the barriers for girls are even higher than I could've imagined, and I realized just how important this work is and how much work we have yet to do. I am so moved by the past year of our work, and I have so much belief in the S H E team to carry our work so far into the future. We have renewed direction, inspiration, and motivation for the years ahead, and we are honored to continue this work with you, our S H E community.

20.

our financials We believe you deserve confidence in how your contributions are invested at S H E. We're committed to remaining transparent with our financials.

Funding sources

SHE Collective 2.8% Grants 28.1%

$177,889 raised in 2021

Donors 49.4%

Corporate Partners 19.7%

expense Breakdown Sustainability Program 23.4%

Employment Program 26.1%

Total 2021 Expenses

$133,270 Overhead 19% Student Program 31.5% Our overhead includes our Togo rent & utilities, our accounting & legal services, processing fees, travel, and 25% of our CEO's salary to account for her time spent fundraising and marketing the S H E program.

thank you

Our Annual Report would never be complete without honoring what makes this all possible - our incredible donors. You helped us raise $177,889 to serve girls and women in Togo. You helped 1,500 girls receive the chance to go to school, employed 30 women year-round, and empowered us to continue expanding services for our 21 amazing community partners. We're so grateful.

the S H E collective The S H E Collective is a dedicated community of change makers who invest in S H E every month. Thank you for taking every step of this journey with us.

Allison Mattson

Lesli Pennock

Shawn Weingartner

Ashley Porter

Mara Litushko

Stacey & Tyler Targee

Brooke Ramstad

Mark and Jeanette Priddy

Stephanie Austad

Chloie Dale

MaryAnn Smith

Tami Miller

Dr. Sarah Nelson

Niels Damman

Theron McGriff

Julie Stevens

Ron and Ellie Hampton

Tracy Hitchcock

Kenton and Nikki Lee

Rowen Fitzgerald

Victor Schlonga

My husband Ron and I are both convinced that helping women and children pursue education is the single most important way to improve their lives and their communities.

As we've watched S H E grow, through providing more education opportunities and especially through providing school uniforms that grow with each girl to remove roadblocks from their path, we decided our support can't be an occasional contribution.

Most recently, learning how S H E has enabled local leadership of the programs, we've become even more dedicated to supporting S H E. That is how we came to be monthly supporters."

- RON & ELLIE HAMPTON, S H E COLLECTIVE MEMBERS

our partners

Reid Family Foundation

www.StyleHerEmpowered.org