Champion Her Right to an Education

Dear Friends, 

We can’t thank you enough for your ongoing support and are so excited to share some exciting updates! Our team spent this Spring traveling around the world to join hands with friends, old and new, in support of the global menstrual movement.

ZanaAfrica’s Founder, Megan Mukuria, touched down in Oxford, England in April for The 15th Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, which focused on the Power of Proximity to catalyze innovators in pursuit of large-scale social change. There, she connected with partners and forged new potential partnerships including scaling our content to Ethiopia. 

The Nia Project’s lead, Alfred Muli, traveled to Stockholm, Sweden for The Case for Her Summit, where he presented the data-driven evidence this Project is producing on the impact that pads and reproductive health education have on girls’ health, well-being, and education.

Naddya Adhiambo Oluoch-Olunya, Nia Teen Magazine's Senior Illustrator, presented at the Social and Behavior Change Communication Summit in Bali, Indonesia. She showcased Nia Teen's innovative content development process, and how we use storytelling to influence behavior change among adolescent girls.

And my colleague Angela Lagat, our Chief Brand Marketing Officer, and I joined the World Bank in Washington, D.C.for a roundtable discussion on ZanaAfrica’s critical interventions that unlock girls’ potential and break cycles of poverty.

Later into the spring on May 14th, we came together in New York City to celebrate our 10-year anniversary with a compelling discussion on the importance of menstrual health, equity, and its centrality to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We are so grateful to our Board Chair, Melinda Wolfe, for hosting such a special event and to our extraordinary panelists, Marni Sommer of Columbia University, Gerda Larsson of The Case For Her, and our incredible moderator Kathy LeMay of Raising Change, for sharing their time and thought leadership with us. Watch the full event here!

But wait, there is more! On Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28th), we announced that we'll receive proceeds from Cora and the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign's "Equality, Period" tee!  An estimated 300 million girls and women around the world lack access to period products. Shop now to get your tee today and to help us continue our work toward #periodequality! 

Period equity is critical to achieving gender equity. We are deeply heartened by your ongoing commitment to this movement to ensure that girls have the tools they need to raise their voices and reclaim their health, safety, and dignity. Our travels and our friends reminded us of the important voice we continue to have in support of this global movement, and we invite you to help us strengthen our global advocacy efforts by continuing your support today! 

Thank you friends, 

Alison 

Dear Friends, 

This first quarter has been truly incredible for ZanaAfrica, and we have so many special updates to share with you! 

On January 25th, we welcomed our community-based partners in Nairobi for a two-day workshop and pad distribution to support 10,000 schoolgirls across Kenya. The workshop included a deep dive into measurement and evaluation, which resulted in the launch of a new survey to measure our shared impact. With our Partners, we developed an in-depth qualitative questionnaire to be completed by over 1,000 schoolgirls to further evaluate our programs. As all of our work is centered on the feedback we receive from girls, we're excited to share results with you in the coming months! We’re hopeful that the information we gather will improve our programs as we deepen our holistic interventions with girls and communities in 2018.

In February, we were thrilled to have the team from Cora join us in Kenya! As a modern period company, Cora offers 100% organic tampons to women in the U.S., while providing pads to girls in need for every product sold. Like us, they believe “that time of the month” should never be a source of shame, harm, or uncertainty. And, they harness the power of business to fight for gender equality in Kenya, India, and in the U.S. We're thrilled to announce that for every month’s supply of Cora you purchase through Amazon.com and Target, starting April 15, Cora will donate a percentage of its profits to support our work. And there’s more! On International Women’s Day we introduced the Fearless Necklace by Cora! For every necklace sold, Cora will provide a year’s supply of pads to girls in Kenya through our program. Check out the necklace here, it holds a single non-applicator tampon! 

Some other fabulous February updates:

• Princeton Students for Gender Equality hosted a week-long Period Palooza to celebrate and broaden the menstrual equity movement among Princeton’s student body. On February 15th, our very own Alison Nakamura Netter joined period activist Cass Clemmer, Creator of Toni the Tampon, Jarrad Aguirre of Myovant Sciences, and Eudora Olsen from PERIOD, for a panel discussion on the menstrual movement and the importance of expanding access to period products for all people who menstruate. Read more about the panel in The Daily Princetonian!
• ZanaAfrica earned the Gold GuideStar USA #NonprofitProfile Seal of Transparency! GuideStar USA, Inc. is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. Check out our Gold Star Profile here! 

And last, but definitely not least, our research study, The Nia Project, is now in its third term! Kilifi County is one of the most disadvantaged regions of Kenya and where The Nia Project operates. In 2017, Kilifi recorded the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, child marriage, severe incidences of sexual abuse by older men, and significant rates of child-to-child sexual abuse—indicating a dire need for rights-based reproductive health education at the community level. The Nia Project places a strong emphasis on girls’ education and empowerment among a range of stakeholders, including parents like Eunice. By connecting girls to after-school mentors and our Nia Teen magazine and Nia Yetu curriculum, we aim to keep girls safe in supportive communities where they can thrive.

While the results of The Nia Project will be published in 2019, we are already seeing positive results:

• Teachers are reporting improved school attendance and performance.
• Parents feel uplifted knowing that their daughters have the pads, underwear, and the education they need and deserve. 
• Girls are expressing increased confidence, self-esteem, and excitement for their futures. 

“I can now concentrate in class. I am no longer worried about staining my uniform. I feel that I can now set goals in life.” – Joyce, age 13 

I hope that you will help us continue this critical work. By taking additional action today and increasing your support, you can help us build on our existing initiatives and ensure that girls have a choice in determining their futures. We know that when girls thrive, communities thrive. And with the recent launch of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s $170M global plan to fund women's equality, the spotlight on women's and girls’ empowerment is shining brighter than ever before. 

Let's take action together so that every girl can live her purpose!

Grateful for you, 

Alison & the entire ZanaAfrica Team