Last year's fundraiser:

https://givebutter.com/limepakistan

Our article in the largest USA based Pakistani American Newspaper:

Pakistanlink.org article on #LIMEPakistan

Launched in August 2023, #LIMEPakistan is leading a transformative project to address menstrual health education in Pakistan. Since its launch the project has made significant progress and updates in tackling critical issues including period poverty, resource scarcity, harmful myths and stigma surrounding menstruation, and capacity development for teachers.

Phase 1 engaged 20 young, passionate women leaders from Pakistani cities of Mardan, Swabi, Abbottabad, and Islamabad with the latest menstrual health research and knowledge. It also supported the same women to lead public campaigns in their cities to raise awareness on menstrual health management (MHM). See highlights here.

Phase 2, focused on organizing the #40in4Campaign. The campaign successfully created safe spaces for menstrual health conversations in 42 schools in 5 different cities in Pakistan. We reached 2672 young women through our collaborative workshop-styled sessions, dispelling negative myths on menstrual health as we went on.

Presently, we are in Phase 3, building capacity and infrastructure for MHM in Pakistan through the #LIMEPakistan (Leadership in Menstrual Education) project.

Local Partnerships

To overcome the challenges surrounding menstrual health, #LIMEPakistan is currently training 1,000 teachers across seven cities: Nankana, Islamabad, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Nowshera, and Abbottabad.

Over the past year, Society For Youth has successfully conducted #LIMEPakistan One Day Training sessions partnering with 28 schools across 6 major cities in Pakistan. These partnerships not only allow us to build substantive capacity for systemic intervention. But also fosters systemic consciousness to think critically and productively about menstrual health interventions in Pakistan. With a wide network of partners, and educational and other non-profit organizations, LIMEPakistan is positioned to make a meaningful contribution to menstrual healthcare management and education in the country.

Trained Educators

SFY has trained 567 teachers by organizing 27 #LIMEPakistan One Day Capacity Development Training sessions. These training sessions are comprehensive engagements that build on the experience of our participants and further engage in critical thinking around important subjects related to menstrual health care management. Teachers discuss the importance of timely and personal puberty education for young kids, preparation for menarche, classroom support, and positive emotional care for students, the need for menstrual health waste facilities, and generally menstrual health-supporting educational infrastructure in the schools. Through facilitating these important conversations, #LIMEPakistan is building a community of educators who will serve as mentors and caregivers for girls in need of guidance on menstrual health matters.

Demographics of Educators

The educators participating in #LIMEPakistan come from various backgrounds, the majority of whom are under 29, followed by 30-49, and 50+ age groups. Educators not only bring diversity in age groups but also a wide spectrum of academic interests: mathematics, English, Urdu, and natural sciences. This allows for a richer conversation about menstrual health, especially in understanding generational developments related to menstrual health education.

Community Engagement

SFY Community Development Organizers along with the #LIMEPakistan Executive team, continue to create a lasting impact in seven different cities in Pakistan. #LIMEPakistan is catalyzing and facilitating impactful and productive public leadership infrastructures for women in Pakistan. This leadership capacity will also traverse into other areas as we continue to engage a wider swath of community and political leaders.

#Safepads

By providing reusable Safepad sanitary products to 567 teachers, the Leadership in Menstrual Education initiative is making a significant impact. This program is reducing menstrual health waste by preventing the disposal of 156,200 disposable pads annually, which equates to more than 1,500 pounds of waste. Additionally, it is contributing to approximately 7 million rupees in annual household savings for teachers. This initiative demonstrates a sustainable and cost-effective approach to menstrual health, empowering teachers and promoting environmental responsibility.

#LIMEGuide

SFY also provides #LIMEGuides to participating educators. #LIMEGuide is a thoroughly researched and comprehensive curriculum, dedicated to addressing critical topics like myths and taboos related to menstruation, period poverty, unsupportive school environment, climate-friendly and sustainable menstrual healthcare, etc, and integrates culturally responsive case studies and activities to nurture capacity development.

Data Collection and Evaluation

Society For Youth is conducting a comprehensive data collection process to evaluate program effectiveness. This includes pre-training, post-training, and follow-up assessments at the 3- and 6-month marks.

The #LIMEPakistan project is already having a deep-reaching and long-lasting positive impact. It is lending a strong hand to tackling global issues in an equitable, sustainable way, beginning in Pakistan. In Pakistan, it's immediately contributing to addressing the debilitating issue of period poverty, providing reusable, SafePad products for a thousand Pakistani women. The unique technology in these pads ensures their effectiveness and continued maximal hygienic standards for up to a year.

YOU CAN MAKE AN IMPACT!

This is where we need YOUR HELP!

Together, with your support, we seek to raise $20,000 to support the cost, completion, and follow up of our seven cities, 50 schools, and 1,000 female educator goal with #LIMEPakistan project. We are asking for your continued support to make these efforts fruitful.

A year ago these were simply good ideas, now thanks to your help we are actively executing and implementing these ideas in a structured, sustainable, and grassroots manner.

You are the key to unlocking endless opportunities for the advancement of women's leadership and menstrual health education in Pakistan. We deeply appreciate your consideration and any gift that will be made as a result. Truly, we are grateful to you.

#LIMEPakistan is fostering safe spaces for menstrual health management education (MHME), dismantling negative stereotypes and myths about MHME that encumber the lives of Pakistani women. Still, on removing encumbrances, #LIMEPakistan is equipping dozens of women leaders with skills and resources to be changemakers in their communities, forming a grand network of public leaders that is giving women’s health and empowerment the fervent attention and support it deserves. Finally, #LIMEPakistan is partnering with a variety of for-profit and nonprofit organizations, building an inter-institutional framework committed to broad-based, grassroots impact within, and eventually beyond the borders of Pakistan.

WHO WE ARE:

SFY is an aspiring national organization based on principles of grassroots organizing, particularly the Broad-Based model. As SFY leaders, we optimize and utilize the power of relationships from our networks, identifying and recruiting young leaders. We come from a diverse array of communities, backgrounds, and educational institutions in Pakistan, majoring in numerous fields and carrying a wide variety of public leadership and impact interests.

HOW WE WORK:

SFY seeks to foster grassroots organizing that not only institutionalizes indigenous leadership but also provides an opportunity to foster relationships within the larger community. We identify and recruit leaders via personal relationships and then work with these leaders to assess and identify community needs. After initial assessments and developing an intervention plan, we subsequently work with local SFY leaders to reach out to institutions, such as local non-profit, for-profit, educational, and other organizations, and work closely with them to implement our projects. Notably, SFY's agenda is grassroots-driven, where via collective leadership, our local leaders inform the organization's priorities and interventions, informed by a thorough assessment of local needs.

VISION:

SFY envisions to decrease power disparities and achieving shared goals to generate grassroots power, through collective action by community leaders, fostering participatory praxis, guided by indigenous leadership in Pakistan.

MISSION:

Promote women’s health organizing through capacity building, and indigenous community networks to include pressing intersectional issues in Pakistan.

Facilitate intellectual and psycho-spiritual growth through an effective community organizing and public leadership culture, embedded in a network of grassroots leaders.

Enhance the ability of local leaders to strategize, establish, and organize innovative solutions to enduring social issues in their communities.

Leadership In Menstrual Education Project, Pakistan

#LIMEPakistan Fundraiser