Help End Period Poverty
About me
Hi
My name is Roxie. I love walking and travelling! I also spend some of time with the Rotary Club of Shepperton and Sunbury (RCSS), where we raise funds to support youth , community and international projects.
After completing the Camino de Santiago in 2023 (for more details see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago), which was therapeutic for me, as it helped me deal with the sudden death of my father in 2020, this spurred me to to do more walking and to explore other pilgrim routes. This year when I decided to complete over 1,000KM of the Via Francigena in stages (finishing in October), everyone asked what was it in aid of?
I believe in a fair and equitable world, which my involvement in Rotary helps me to contribute to both local and international activities. My passion is to help remove barriers and to ensure everyone has access to opportunities.
As the International Committee Chair of RCSS, one of our focus project is about empowering more women to complete their education.
My purpose as I walk my 1,000KM+ walk is to help create a fairer society by ending Period Poverty.
What is Period Poverty?
Period poverty is a complex global issue. It affects countless people who struggle to manage menstruation for one (or all) of the following reasons. They may:
- Not have finances to afford menstrual products
- Lack access to safe and clean facilities
- Face cultural or societal taboos
- Encounter menstrual discrimination
- Be uneducated about period management
- Feel shame or fear seeking support
Want to join me in making a difference?
I'm raising money to benefit Binti International, and your donation will help them complete their Gambian objectives in 2025. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.
Did you know that in Gambia…
- On average, girls in The Gambia miss 48 days of school a year during their periods because girls do not understand their menstruation.
- Many girls are forced to use paper, leaves or animal skin, animal fat and cloth to manage their periods.
- Girls often drop out of school when they begin their periods. The ripple effect of this, is that approximately 45% of young girls go on to experience early forced marriages and the cycle of poverty is perpetuated. (Data from Binti)
More information about Binti International
Binti's vision is to create a world where all women have Menstrual dignity. We do this with the provision of Menstrual products, education and smashing the stigma taboo and shame. We believe normalising the discussion will help women not to suffer unnecessarily.
What would the donation be used for?
So far the Binti team have delivered menstrual training to five regions covering over 500 teachers. They still have another 2 regions (Basse and Foni) to cover. Hence my challenge is to raise funds via my walk over the next seven months ending in October 2025. Our target is £6,000.
The funds raised will:
- Help deliver training to 200 teachers
- Launch 1 library where we will build bookcases so that Binti can deliver £25k worth of new books with a partner to help a community with a new library.
- We will train and deliver fabric and materials for a local designer who will run a class for the community in Bakao to sew reusable pads.
Over the course of my walk I will post regular updates on my instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/triniroxiecaminos?igsh=ZjF1ZDJoODg3YTd6
Organizer
Roxie G
Organizer
England
Binti International
Beneficiary