It was wonderful to hear from athletics star and Old Queenswoodian Jodie Williams recently and to find out about her charitable work with Femlead - an inspirational organisation supporting young women and girls in Uganda.

Among its many initiatives, the charity is raising funds for machinery with which they can produce sanitary pads out of the stems of locally grown banana palms. The initiative called the Fluff Project, was inspired by a report from the Education and Sports Ministry on menstrual health management in Uganda that showed 23% of Ugandan girls in the age group of 12-18 drop out of school when they begin menstruation.

By producing a locally manufactured sanitary product, using both local materials and local female labour, Femlead are striving to empower young women to escape period-poverty and reach their full potential. If you would like to donate to this incredible project, you can do so here.

Hi, my name is Jodie Williams, I am an OQ, an Olympian and a passionate advocate for girls and women's rights globally!

I became officially involved with Femlead in June 2020 after supporting the organisation for many years prior.

Femlead was founded by my aunt, a feminist and artist who explores gender and race politics and Esther, a Ugandan human rights activist and the Managing Director at Femlead. It was formed in response to a startling number of girls dropping out of school around the age they started their period.

During the pandemic I found that, like most of us, I had a lot of time on my hands. The Olympics had been postponed and training had all but come to a halt. I wanted to use this time wisely and pursue things I had always wanted to but "never had time to". I decided to take steps to become better educated on global issues concerning women and girls.

As a woman in sport, I had always been an advocate for girls and women's rights but had never properly educated myself in this area. So I took an online class on 'International Women's Health and Human Rights'.

After taking this course, I began to really understand the barriers and structures that were stopping many girls from receiving a full education and deepened my understanding of period poverty. I realised how incredibly privileged I was to be learning about these things rather than being forced to experience them. I knew I had to take further steps, so I spoke with my aunt and offered my services in any way that would be helpful.

Fast forward 2 years, I now handle grant writing and communications! It's been very much a 'learn on the job' experience but the girls and women in the organisation have continuously inspired and motivated me. They’ve taught me to raise my voice in the face of injustice, no matter how uncomfortable, and to keep pushing until things change.

Jodie Williams