She founded Freedom4Girls after spending time in Kenya, volunteering for other charities and working on a mother & baby project; this work inspired her to start a project of her own. After supporting a local Kenyan Gym and raising money to renovate a football field and supply football kits to local children, Tina was horrified to discover that 60% of girls and women in Kenya had no access to safe menstrual protection. It took her back to her experience of starting her period when she was 11 years old, almost 40 years previously. She was on a French exchange trip and couldn’t access any menstrual products, so had to manage with toilet paper and sleeping on the floor for a week, worried that she would soil the sheets. We all have stories to tell about how we have had accidents when we have been caught short on our periods. That is why Tina is so passionate about helping to create a world in which everyone is educated about their bodies and has safe, hygienic access to menstrual products. No one who menstruates should have to suffer!

Sheona first met Tina Leslie when she was leading a team of sewing volunteers in Leeds, making re-usable cloth pads to distribute to girls and women in developing countries. They began to collaborate, and Sheona's involvement with Freedom4Girls gradually increased. Today, she leads projects related to washable, reusable period products, as well as dealing with day-to-day operational tasks. Sheona's inspiration to become involved in the fight against period poverty stems from her feelings about the importance of educational opportunities for all, regardless of their social, economic or religious background. Something as simple as access to safe and hygienic menstrual products really is life-changing, and Freedom4Girls provides a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference to the lives of those who menstruate and to interact directly with people who benefit from the charity's work.

She does this alongside her work as a Prison law consultant and running the organisation’s Uganda based projects. Tora’s awareness of the issue of period poverty originated during one of her first female human rights law clients; a woman with severe learning difficulties who was disciplined following her refusal of a strip search because she was menstruating. The differences between how men and women are treated across socio-economic and criminal justice systems led then led Tora to turn her career focus onto gender-specific work for women and girl’s voluntary organisations. As someone with endometriosis and M.E. Tora is passionate about supporting young people and women with multiple complex needs and disabilities.

Amy is passionate about the work Freedom4Girls is doing because as an organisation, we focus on a varity of factors that influence period poverty. From education and awareness raising, to providing period products to those who need them. Amy thinks that multi-level approaches like this are the most effective in bringing about change and she's proud to be a part of it!

Mum of 3 and passionate business woman, Lesley studies part time alongside her work for Freedom4Girls. Lesley enjoys working at Freedom4Girls as she is a women’s and girl’s rights enthusiast and advocate of gender specific support within the women’s sector.

She is a youth worker specialising in sexual health. She is also a qualified massage therapist and yoga instructor. Lucy's drive for taking on Freedom4Girls' education programme stems from her determination that women should not be embarrassed or ashamed by menstruation. She says: "i think it's important to talk about menstruation, period poverty, women's health issues and safe menstrual protection, and for that engagement to be accross all sectors with individuals, those who have periods and those who don't. By normalising conversations around periods, we inevitably make them less taboo, reduce shame, stigma and empower women, girls and everyone who gets periods in a safe way, making menstruation a positive experience."

She is passionate about women's rights, equal educational opportunities for all & ending FGM. While researching for her dissertation, Chloe was shocked to discover how far reaching period poverty is; reading about many women’s struggles motivated her to become involved with Freedom4girls. Period education is important to Chloe as she has struggled medically with her own periods over the years and like many women, hasn’t received much needed support for this in school and work settings. Education is vital in addressing the stigma and shame surrounding periods- menstruation is a completely natural occurrence yet girls are made to feel that it’s something to be embarrassed about and this has to change! If women felt able to discuss periods freely and there was a space in which all stigma was removed, this would transform the experiences of young people’s periods.