St Swithun’s students join the fight against period poverty
Led by one of the sixth-formers, students at St Swithun's School, Winchester, are helping in the fight against period poverty by sewing reusable period pads for refugees worldwide.
Lower-sixth student Miya G introduced The Pachamama Project—a volunteer-run initiative tackling period poverty in refugee crises—to St Swithun’s and now leads a lunchtime sewing club. Every Wednesday, students from Year 9 to Year 13 drop in to the textiles classroom to help create the pads, which will be distributed to communities in need across Ukraine, Uganda, Pakistan, Lebanon, South Sudan, and more.
“We’re supporting The Pachamama Project, which was started by university student Ella Lambert and her mum during lockdown,” Miya explained. “It’s been great to see students across the school get involved”.
To gather materials, Miya reached out to local businesses and community groups for fabric donations. Grateful for the community’s generosity, she said, “I received bags and bags of fabric from businesses or people who just love sewing and had spare material at home.”
Each pad is designed to last up to five years, with an inner lining made from anti-pill fleece. To fund this essential material Miya organised a school bake sale at breaktime and raised over £200.
The club has been popular with girls of all ages at the school, and over 20 students have worked together to complete more than 30 pads for their first shipment. Joanna M, another student involved in the project, said, “Anyone at school can get involved and help—it doesn’t matter if you have sewing skills or not. It’s easy to learn, and everyone feels good knowing they’re making a difference.”
The World Bank estimates that over 500 million young women and girls globally struggle daily to manage their menstrual health. Period poverty is a silent epidemic, and a triple threat of stigma, unaffordable products, and inadequate sanitation fuels this global crisis (Womenkind Worldwide 2024). By getting involved with The Pachamama Project, St Swithun’s students are not only learning new skills but are also playing a part in tackling this global epidemic.
St Swithun’s headmistress, Jane Gandee, said, “We are passionate about providing an environment that prepares our students to go out and make their mark on the wider world. That involves not only achieving excellent academic results, but building confidence and resilience. In Miya’s case, she is already making a huge difference to communities in need and inspiring others to follow her lead.”
Head of sixth form, Nick Fyfe, commented, “We are always delighted to see our sixth form students pursuing volunteering opportunities with such passion and purpose. Leadership and concern for society are two of our six pillars of sixth form and Miya exemplifies both of those.
"In the sixth form at St Swithun’s, whatever a student’s interests might be, we help them to develop their character, skills, and self-confidence, so they can pursue their chosen pathway with curiosity, passion and mindfulness for the wider community."
April 2025