Where we came from

Lizzie, Teagan, and Reeva studied abroad in Fall 2019. During a homestay in Senase, Ghana, they learned many girls in the village cannot afford sanitary products. Some girls miss school every month when they get their period, consequently falling behind in their school curriculum. Other girls turn to sexual relationships with older men in exchange for pads; this often leads to pregnancies, STDs, or power-based violence. Several teachers spend a significant portion of their salary purchasing pads to help their students. However, this is only a temporary solution, and young girls are stuck in a cycle of poverty,losing their access to education. 

 Lizzie, Teagan and Reeva wanted to do something about this issue. They already had the requisite expertise to develop a solution with collective backgrounds in public health, education, community organization, business, and marketing.

However, they knew the initiatives to address these issues had to have community buy-in, and ultimately, be community-led efforts. Lizzie, Teagan, and Reeva returned home and reached out to school teachers, community leaders, and donors to better understand how a program like this would function in Senase. Armed with knowledge and community support, the team designed an elective class in which older girls could sew reusable pads to distribute to those in need. And thus, the Semanhyia Project was born. 

In 2022, Reeva brought in Josh for marketing, IT, team management, and reporting. Josh and Reeva realized that the Semanhyia Project could be the start of something much bigger. The efforts it took to establish this community-led, self-sustaining program could be replicated to address a host of other issues, such as economic empowerment, leadership development, and even environmental sustainability.

What started as a study abroad project has now transformed into a comprehensive nonprofit. With Josh and Reeva’s  backgrounds in public health, entrepreneurship, and data, they want to empower local communities to create programs that address systemic issues by providing them with physical infrastructure, outside expertise, and a knowledgeable community.