The Grace & Nelly Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction of poverty in rural communities in Zimbabwe through the empowerment and education of women and girls in those communities.

Keeping Girls In School

One of the greatest barriers to women and girls in Zimbabwe is the inability to access menstrual products. Over 70% of girls cannot afford menstrual products and an estimated 5% of girls in Zimbabwe do not finish school due to period poverty.

Since 2016, The Grace & Nelly Project has provided girls in Zimbabwe with reusable menstrual pads to ensure they stay in school.

engaged in Sustainable Job creation

G&N started out with the idea of providing some of the primary school girls in the Mukombami rural village with sanitary pads. However, G&N realized that a more sustainable solution was required to tackle poverty and period poverty in Mukombami and its surrounding villages.

Through its social enterprise, Healthier Happier Periods, G&N is working to create a more sustainable solution to end period poverty and create employment opportunities for women in rural communities in Zimbabwe.

Providing women and girls with skills-based training

Women and girls in rural communities often get left behind. Whether it’s related to education, business and entrepreneurship mentorship, technological advancements, or healthcare services. In 2018, G&N embarked on a journey to create provide women and girls in rural communities with the knowledge, skills and support to help them catch up to those in urban centres.

To date, G&N has provided business and entrepreneurship training to over 150 women, and trained over 60 women and girls how to make reusable menstrual pads.

Engaged in Menstrual Rights Advocacy

G&N advocates for period equity. For the removal of barriers to access to menstrual products and the dispelling of myths tied to menstruation.

G&N compiled a series of short stories centred on the arrival of a woman’s first menstrual period. These stories detail the experiences of African women of different ages and backgrounds. They highlight the struggles and joys that girls and women on the African continent have encountered when beginning their journey into womanhood.