About

Zeshan Raja, CEO and Managing Director at ZR Consultants, has joined forces with Saleem Sheikh from the Charity, City Retreat (Leicester), to distribute reusable sanitary ware and educational workshops to women in Kenya. City retreat has recently been joined by Saleem and Vohra, both of whom have done significant work as part of their previous roles at TEAMS. The charity is dedicated to making real changes to young womens' peoples lives and pride themselves on their level of transparency and their 100% donation policy. The idea was initially bought to Zeshan by a friend, Faareen Sanam Ali, who flagged the need to help young girls and women in poorer countries who were missing out on work and educational opportunities due to their inability to pay for sanitary products, which caused a significant detriment to their lives. After almost a year of research and searching for suppliers globally, we have finally managed to identify a long-term solution to the issues faced by young girls and women from poorer societies. We have chosen to work with Madhvi Dalal, the founder of PadMad (www.padmadkenya.com) and are raising funds to provide “Deluxe Menstrual Pad Kit”. One kit at a cost of £6.50 provides all the reusable sanitary products required for a minimum of 5 years. This life changing kit at a cost of £6.50 also includes the cost of transportation, distribution and more importantly educational workshops / sessions to both men and women and young girls on women’s hygiene. PadMad and Madhvi, are committed to improving women's health through environmentally responsible action. They are currently involved in working in Kenya, Somaliland, Malawi and the UK on addressing period poverty. PadMad introduces Menstrual Health Management (MHM) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) education to educate all communities about menstrual hygiene including men and boys to be more aware of it and to appreciate its normalcy. ZR Consultants are passionate about empowering young women and supporting initiatives that provide equal opportunities for all. Period poverty has a devastating impact on women and young girls, globally nowhere more so than in Kenya. Here are some statistics: • 65% of females in Kenya cannot afford sanitary pads - this has led to an estimated of one million girls missing school every month. • Girls in Kenya miss approximately four days of school each month or on average of 20% of school year, because of their monthly period cycle. • 10% of fifteen-year-old girls in Kenya turn to prostitution (“Sex for sanitary pads”) to access sanitary pads. • Young girls and women use old clothes, paper, cotton, or wool pieces as well as share pads to manage their menstrual cycle. This situation is worse for young girls as sharing pads is extremely dangerous – research shows that some 12 percent of people living in the slums on the outskirts of Nairobi have HIV, compared to about 5 percent of the general population. You can help change the lives' of young girls and women by generously denoting just £6.50 towards a PadMad Deluxe Pad Kit which will provide 5 years of peace of mind. The packs include: -2 night-time pads -2 day-time pads -1 holder -5 liners. All items are Eco friendly and contain no toxins or BPA’s. Please find it in your hearts to donate £6.50 towards this great cause. As usual all the videos, pictures and evidence of this project will be available. We anticipate that as soon as we raise our first £1,300 (200 packs) then we will do our first distribution. When you make your donation through Givey, the Charity receives 100% of the donation. Your details are safe with Givey and donating is completely secure. Whatsmore, they never share your email address with any third parties except the Charity you donate to. When you make your donation through Givey, the Charity receives 100% of the donation. Your details are safe with Givey and donating is completely secure. Whatsmore, they never share your email address with any third parties except the Charity you donate to.