E-Pads Service Club Enhances Impact with Community Support

Story by Students Isabella H. & Serena N., and Faculty Supervisor Pascaline Dacharry

A student-run initiative promoting female health and hygiene has taken a major step in its impact.

E-pads, is a service club founded ten years ago by ICS High School students dedicated to creating a safe environment for girls at school. The club aims to provide healthy and hygienic resources for school-age women in Ethiopia, and a recent partnership with the social enterprise Mela for Her has allowed the group to offer greater support than ever before to their community.

With the support of the ICS community through a booth at a recent Community Market and through soliciting donations via the ICS Weekly, the new sponsorship program kicked off with resounding success. The group raised a remarkable total of 55,115 birr, which is enough to provide a set of reusable menstrual pads to 136 girls at Mekdela, our neighboring school. This is equivalent to providing sponsorship to every girl enrolled in Grade 8 at that school.

The club has come a long way in its 10 years, beginning in a small room with 4 sewing machines and now launching its latest partnership with Mela for Her. The original group focused on sewing pads but since then shifted efforts toward educating women and girls through engaging presentations, informative posters, and helpful brochures.

Now, in 2023, the group’s partnership and sponsorship program take its impact to a greater level, however the mission remains the same: to make a difference in the lives of even more girls.

The group is hoping to continue building momentum from their recent success to begin supporting girls in even more grade levels at Mekdela. They invite the ICS community to reach out to them via email to offer financial donations or any other forms of support. By doing so, we hope to empower girls and enable them to embrace their menstrual cycles with dignity and confidence. Through our collective efforts, we aspire to make a lasting difference in the lives of women and girls, both locally and globally.

The E-pads students and faculty supervisors would like to thank every member of the community who has supported their cause! #LetsTalkPeriods