Green Period – The winning project of Social Builders Academy
In the second edition of the Social Builders Academy, 4 projects were submitted. After analysing the applications and the pitch, the big winner was the Green project (Green Period) created by Ana Pacheco, a year 3 student of the FMUL Integrated Master Degree in Medicine and by Madalena Barceló, a year 2 undergraduate student in Mathematics applied to Economics and Management from ISEG.
Ana and Madalena wasted no time in bringing this project to life: the idea started at the Social Builders Academy Design Thinking and Pitch Workshop and it seemed so interesting that they were encouraged by the trainers, Madalena and Sónia, to continue to deepen this project and, who knows, submit it to the award
Green aims to educate the population about reusable menstrual products, promoting their use, to the detriment of disposables, which are polluting and costly in the long run. Menstrual poverty and the environmental impact of disposable products are urgent issues and, unfortunately, still little debated. An informed, conscientious population will have the tools to nip the problem from scratch. The solution already exists - the first menstrual collector dates back to the 19th century, but its dissemination is not being effective.
It is crucial to raise awareness and teach the entire population about this topic - and this is where this project comes in. They aim to reach all schools in the country, with trained trainers - in a form of peer teaching (already well known at FMUL), and to empower young girls from an early age, showing how it is possible to have a sustainable, economical and safe menstruation.
Their testimonials about the Social Builders Academy and its importance to the project and the dream they want to fulfil are below:
Ana: “The Social Builders Academy (SBA) allowed me to structure a small idea, which quickly grew into a dream. It made me believe that it is really possible to achieve ambitious goals, create great projects, with the power of will and resilience. It gave me indispensable tools and made it possible to partner with Madalena.
Madalena: In my opinion, the Social Builders Academy not only helped me to understand how to structure a project more intelligently, but also motivated me to be more active in social terms through the various social entrepreneurship projects presented in the sessions. Fortunately, it also gave me the opportunity to meet Ana and join her in this project. We both believe that our project, Green., has enormous potential and we are working hard to achieve it.
But we don't stop here! It is necessary to change the parents' mindset, reach everyone, without exception! We intend to cross borders, be they generational, gender or national. We intend to do this through online awareness sessions, open to anyone who wants to learn about this topic, via an application form.
We dream big… we dream of a world where all menstruating women have access to quality menstrual products, with reduced cost and with the least possible environmental impact - a world where Health and Sustainability go hand in hand. This is what we want with Green.
“To all the members of the SBA, the FMUL Innovation and Entrepreneurship Office, the Student Associations of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon and of the Higher Institute of Economics and Management, to our current 8 partnerships selling Reusable Menstrual Products, friends and family, our deep appreciation for all your support, for making this dream possible”.
For the SBA competition jury, this was the best articulated project, in which the founders had already developed the various stages and goals they wanted to propose. At the same time, the proactive stance was also positive, having already partnered with several brands at the pitch. And most importantly, the mission of this project, centred on equal opportunities, sustainability and, without a doubt, humanity, thrilled all jury members.
At the moment, they already have partnerships with more than 13 brands. They have carried out campaigns to collect material to create reusable towels to be sent to a school in Guinea Bissau. They have organized online meetings, in addition to having several student volunteers supporting the project.
Follow this project, and connect to this cause that, in the words of the founders, intends to offer:
A Green Period for all Women - sustainable for the Earth and Families
Contacts and Social Media:
Email: green.periodproject@gmail.com
Facebook: Green.period Project
Instagram: green.period
Sónia Teixeira
Editorial Team