Meet the team

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 and Social Impact Consultant for various organisations. Her awareness of period poverty and the impacts it has on gender inequality originated when she was representing a female prison law client; a woman with severe learning difficulties who was disciplined for refusing a strip search when she was menstruating. The differences between how men and women are treated at all levels of society led Tora to turn her career focus into gender-specific work in the women's sector. As her family are from Apartheid South Africa, Tora also commits her professional and personal activism to working towards racial equality. And as someone with endometriosis and M.E, Tora is passionate about women with multiple and complex healthcare needs and disabilities. Tora is currently running the Uganda projects, our Black Women's Menstrual Health project and the Period Positive Spaces scheme.

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."

Petchara began her work with period poverty at Imperial College London where she started up her own menstrual cup campaign whilst being the Environmental Society President, and then interned with Freedom4Girls in 2020. She now works with Sheona on a project to distribute free reusable menstrual products across the country. She is also a Miss Universe Great Britain 2021 finalist, and will be representing Freedom4Girls. She is now a masters student at UEA with a passion for sustainable agriculture.