We are delighted to share a blog written by Selina Valli, a student at Isamilo International School Mwanza who is part of a team delivering a Global Goals project for the 2018-19 Global Goals Competition.
Their project is among over 800 social action projects currently running as part of the GSL movement and we are excited to be supporting them to design and lead positive social change in their community.
Our experience has been very eye opening as we’ve come to realize how much power we have to give.
Project Overview
The three leaders are proudly part of a non-registered initiative called Accessible and Affordable Sanitation for Women (AASW), a global non registered initiative that aims to give girls access to menstrual hygiene and break the social stigma and taboo the issue faces. This will be done by producing handmade reusable sanitary pads for girls who have no access to them and spreading awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene. The initiative has been integrated into a community service club we run weekly at Isamilo International School Mwanza.
Through the club we spread awareness about the importance of menstrual health and hygiene. The club members also greatly help us in planning out and executing various fundraisers, which raise money to go towards funding the production of the sanitary packs and buying other necessities needed by the organization we work with here in Mwanza- Cheka Sana. This organization works with street children from ages blah This year we have taken our community service club members to visit the girls at Cheka Sana to get to socialize with them and hear their stories, as well as to know their current methods of menstrual hygiene and how we can improve that. We have noticed that the community in Mwanza face a challenge in tackling this problem, through this initiative we hope to make a difference and improve the standards of living for the women in Mwanza community.
Our Journey
Some of the major skills we’ve developed are, working in a team as the 3 of us put in all our views, ideas through deep communication we finally come to a conclusion. As we have started a community service club we have developed and improved our leadership skills as well as got better at communicating with local people who speak the native language- Kiswahili.
Things that we’ve learnt about ourselves is that we are passionate in what we do, committed in what we plan for, dedicated and have a drive to make a difference in our community. Our biggest challenge is getting funds, to support and buy materials to produce the sanitary pads, but through hard work and creative ideas we will plan events as a fundraiser and through that we hope to get as many funds as possible. In the long run also look for some sponsors.
The Next Chapter
We would emphasize that all young leaders of today’s generation to collaborate and to engage in this project to improve and break the mensuration taboo in all communities, to empower women who have a voice and to spread love and happiness through y’all different communities. The young leaders could share their period stories and inspire other girls to join in, educational workshops for women of all kind.
The 2018-19 GSL Global Goals Competition is now open and runs until June 2019. If you belong to one of the 700+ teams of students currently delivering a social action project as part of the competition we would love to hear from you and feature your blog and project photos on our website to inspire others.
