Global Goals and Presidential Selfies

This September, our Chief Instigator Elizabeth Scharpf took on the United Nations General Assembly, speaking at a high-level panel for Every Woman Every Child at the UN Headquarters in New York. 2016 marks the adoption of new global development goals and strategies which bring into focus one of SHE’s greatest strengths- Sustainability.

SHE’s innovative work in scaling the production of sustainable sanitary pads was showcased amongst the ranks of technology powerhouses such as Huawei, GE Foundation, Philips, and Orange. Every Woman Every Child brings together partners from different sectors and encourages collaboration in achieving a common goal – improving the wellbeing of women and children across the world.

Founder and CEO Elizabeth Scharpf at 2016 UNGA Week Luncheon.Every Woman Every Child’s efforts to enhance collaboration between public and private sectors will increase the efficiency in achieving social impact, but we also have them to thank for this excellent selfie of Elizabeth and the President of Ghana. SHE is committed to serving 250,000 girls by 2017, in line with our plans for expansion of the SHE28 campaign within Rwanda and globally.

Join our commitment and invest in our market-based solution to improving the well-being of women and girls.

SHE makes ink on CNBC and Global Citizen

“We believe that SHE’s approach has significant potential for scalability and thus could be an important step towards making women’s healthcare more accessible in these regions.” – says Josh Ghaim, Chief Technology Officer, Johnson and Johnson

CNBC and Global Citizen featured our expanded production and growing social enterprise across East Africa, thanks to a technical partnership with Johnson and Johnson.

Everything we do — whether it’s training farmers to supply us banana fiber or providing girls access to our go! pads — is thanks to our amazing network of champions like you.

Together, we’ve already made and distributed almost 200,000 pads to 10,000 girls throughout Rwanda and have created new income opportunities for 630 enterprising people.

And we’re just getting started. Read on.

SHE on CNBC: Why this Harvard grad has spent a decade making maxi pads out of banana fiber 

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SHE on Global Citizen: How Banana Fibers in Rwanda Are Helping Girls With Their Periods

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Join SHE Rwanda as its Managing Director

Company Background

SHE is an award-winning social enterprise, with our first business operating in Rwanda. Our goal for SHE Rwanda is to increase access (for at least 250,000 girls) to affordable sanitary pads. We’re doing that by using an innovative manufacturing process that sources banana fiber from local banana co-operatives. We then use that banana fiber to make and produce affordable disposable sanitary pads (they are at least 30% more affordable than comparable imported brands). Our pads, branded as go!, are sold to schools and NGOs, and also directly to underserved consumers across Rwanda, primarily in the Eastern Province.

In Rwanda, SHE is rapidly scaling, and our revenue is incrementally growing as we meet customer demand for affordable sanitary pads. In Rwanda, SHE is a social business with a social mission of local sourcing of banana fiber, job creation, affordable products, and access to essential menstrual health education at the school level.

Our social venture has been recognized by New Times Rwanda. We are proud to have received global recognition for our work from Echoing Green, The Tech Museum, Curry Stone Design Prize, among others. Learn more about our work here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4365hpsxVIw

Job Background

We are in an exciting time of growth given our new partnership with Johnson & Johnson, a multi-national conglomerate, and are looking to hire a Managing Director to lead our Rwanda-based entity to profitability and scale.

The Managing Director role in Rwanda is integral to shaping the direction of SHE Rwanda’s approach and vision. It is imperative that the Managing Director can continue to build upon our track record and trust within the Rwandan business community.

We are seeking an original, resilient, self–starter who sees opportunities (not challenges), and inspires and manages a team to scale our short, but proven track record.  Our Managing Director should bring fresh ideas to the table that can challenge our assumptions and principles.

Reporting and Relationships

The Managing Director, Rwanda will report to the Founder and CEO of SHE Global based in the U.S. and will work at the time with the Global team in New York City. S/he will oversee the staff in Rwanda.

Location and Time Requirements

The Managing Director, Rwanda will be based at the SHE Rwanda office located in Kigali. There will be significant in-country travel, including into rural areas.

Responsibilities

Overall, we are seeking someone who can lead our Rwanda-based entity to profitability and scale.  In doing so, she/he will manage all staff, administration, and operations of SHE in Rwanda and take ownership of all country-specific projects and deliverables. The following things will be important in doing that:

  • Revenue Generation & Cost Containment
    • Lead the conversion of significant new customers
    • Work with the business development team to identify and cultivate new customers and retain existing customers
    • Deliver on cost reduction and increased efficiencies through continuous operational improvements and supply chain management as we scale.
  • Financial Oversight (in partnership with Business Operations Manager)
    • Work with Business Operations Manager to oversee country-level budgeting and audit
    • Work with Business Operations Manager to assure that accounts are up to date and that taxes are paid on time
  • Operations
    • Develop evidence-driven implementation plans and execute those plans for production, sales, distribution, and supply chain management;
    • Lead implementation plan roll-out while working with a diverse set of actors including Rwandan stakeholders, U.S. team members, international funders and partners;
  • Strategic Planning and Execution
    • Guide the scaling of SHE Rwanda from a fiscal perspective;
  • Test and evaluate all aspects of business model to ensure quality, sustainability and replicability by measuring success criteria against SHE’s business model and its assumptions; Human Resources
    • Build a culture of high performance for SHE Rwanda;
    • Recruit and provide line management, mentorship, and support to team;
    • Ensure that SHE Rwanda is compliant with labor laws.
  • External Engagement
    • Represent SHE Rwanda to senior government officials and other major partners
    • Develop strong district and national government relationships;
    • Represent SHE Rwanda when liaising with SHE’s funders and investors
  • General Administration
    • Manage change and support others to do so – support the team to deal with ambiguity.
    • Take ownership of all country-specific projects and deliverables.
  • Lead with integrity. The Managing Director would be an inspirational figure for the staff and international community to look to as highly-skilled, passionate, and ethical.

Qualifications

We are looking for outstanding candidates who fit the following criteria:

  • 7-10 years work experience, ideally in business development or sales;
  • Experience in managing a profit and loss statement to drive and inform strategy;
  • Strategic thinker and planner who has built and managed teams that successfully execute on plans for impact and scale;
  • Demonstrated ability to work with funders and investors;
  • Experience of working in the East African, preferably Rwanda-specific, context
  • Building and maintaining truly collaborative and learning-driven relationships with Government – at all level of seniority; as well as the ability to maintain strong partnerships with stakeholders as diverse as global funders; NGO leaders; individual investors, and academics.
  • Experience mentoring and managing people and helping them to develop as leaders.
  • Ability to effectively collaborate with and across a global team, proven capacity to work across cultural lines; and the ability to operate independently in complex situations.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel & Google Apps.

Characteristics Required:

  • A strong listener: You have exceptional relationship and interpersonal skills, and demonstrate patience, tact, and authenticity.
  • Detail oriented: You have a strong implementation focus.
  • Motivator: The ability to act with positivity and optimism such that you can motivate others during challenging times.
  • Language: English required. + Kinyarwanda preferred.

Please note:

  • References will be taken up before a final offer of employment is made.

Recruitment Process:

Provisional dates for the process are as follows:

  • Long-listing will take place in July 2017 and those candidates selected will be informed and invited for a preliminary interview. Preliminary interviews will take the form of face-to-face or Skype interviews with SHE Global team.
  • The second phase of interview will be a Skype interview with the Founder and CEO of SHE. Short-listing will take place before the end of August 2017 and candidates selected for interviews with the Founder and CEO will be informed.
  • The third and final phase of the interview process with our top candidates will be an in-person interview with our SHE Rwanda team in Kigali. It will consist of a panel interview with 5 people. It is anticipated that interviews with the SHE Rwanda staff will take place during the last 2 weeks of August 2017.

Job Location:  Kigali, Rwanda

Duration:  Minimum 2+ years commitment, full-time job

Preferred Start Date:  September/October 2017

Compensation:  A competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience including health insurance and bonus opportunity.

How to Apply: Only electronic applications will be accepted. To apply you should submit a copy of your CV, alongside a thoughtful cover letter, indicating why you are the right fit for SHE Rwanda and this Managing Director position to hresources@sheinnovates.com

If you have questions:

If, after reading this material, you have further questions about any aspect of this search, you can contact:

Connie Lewin

Director of Strategy, SHE Global

hresources@sheinnovates.com

Girl Talk

Below, girls share their experience with SHE28 and the impact it is having in Rwanda. How can you break the silence? By investing and sharing the experience of Justine, Jessica, and Jackie, you can activate girls and women to continue challenging the status quo.

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SHE Selected as Semi-Finalist for the 2016 Fuller Challenge

SHE has been announced as a 2016 Semi-Finalist in the Fuller Challenge, a prestigious annual competition named “Socially-Responsible Design’s Highest Award”. Each year, The Buckminster Fuller Institute invites scientists, designers, architects, activists, entrepreneurs, artists and planners from all over the world to submit their innovative solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing problems. A $100,000 prize is awarded to support the development and implementation of one outstanding strategy.

Nineteen proposals, including ours, have been selected as Semi-finalists after rigorous review for adherence to the seven-point Challenge criteria: Visionary, Comprehensive, Ecologically Responsible, Feasible, Verifiable, and Replicable. Our application has been through three rounds of vetting by the members of the Challenge Review Committee, including analysis and evaluation by an interdisciplinary team of experts and advisors.

“Each of these projects deserve the attention of the world for their commitment to ‘solving for system’ – an approach that takes an unusual degree of insight, patience, tenacity and courage”, said Elizabeth Thompson, The Buckminster Fuller Institute’s Executive Director. “The teams behind these initiatives have made extraordinary efforts to define the systemic context underlying the problem they are seeking to solve, and have designed strategies that provide enduring and sustainable solutions. Each is a remarkable example of the transformative power of individual initiative and provide much needed hope by demonstrating that solutions to our most entrenched problems are indeed at hand.”

We’re honored to make the cut in this prestigious human-centered design competition. Stay tuned for the winners’ announcement in September.

Add to your bucket list: Kilimanjaro Climb for SHE 2017

Join the #climbforSHE team, July 1 – 11, 2017 across the Rongai Crater Route, Mt. Kilimanjaro.

This is your chance to close the gender gap for thousands of girls and create new jobs for the women in her community in Rwanda. SHE is equipping school girls with the pads they need to thrive at school by building a sustainable business that trains local women to make and sell these pads in their communities.

You can be a part of changing of Rwanda’s economy by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro July 2017. The Rongai Crater Route starts from the north side of Kilimanjaro at the village of Nalemoru near the Kenya border. This less traveled trail allows discriminating trekkers to distance themselves from the busier routes on the lower elevations, offers a great variety of fabulous vistas that most climbers never get to see. The route passes through lush farmland and pine and cypress forests before ascending into the rainforest where you may see troupes of black and white colobus monkeys. In the higher moorland zone enjoy views of the Kenyan plains rich with game.

Stay tuned for more info about how to sign up. In the meantime, watch the video below to learn more about SHE and last year’s inaugural climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Download a brochure

See photos and read testimonials’ from last year’s adventure

go! Out & Play on Menstrual Hygiene Day

Guest Post by Jeannette Murekatate, Health and Hygiene Manager

That’s exactly what we did in Rwanda on May 27 by organizing 2030 students (both boys and girls), teachers, and community leaders, in celebration of Menstrual Hygiene Day 2016.  This year’s theme focused on “He for SHE”, serving as a call to action for Rwandan boys and men to engage in conversations with girls and women about the significance of good menstrual hygiene habits, and the role these habits play in the health and well-being of all girls and women.

The day’s activities included skits written and performed by students to illustrate the challenges girls encounter while managing their period at school and at home, an all-girl soccer match, and a fact or fiction menstrual health crossword puzzle. In an epic win (2-0), G.S. Gikaya school was declared the game-winner, and SHE awarded each girl a t-shirt in addition to their very own pack of go! pads.

Alphonse Ngarambe, The Director of Health in the Kayonza district, delivered a speech directed to young men, reminding them they can play a role in promoting good menstrual hygiene by starting conversations about menstruation with other men to reduce the stigma and shame that many fellow girl students feel while menstruating at school. He ended his speech with a note of hope, saying  “Abishyize hamwe nta kibananira,” or “Together, all things are possible.”

Providing girls and women information about menstruation and their health, in addition to ensuring affordable access to menstrual products, is not just about health and hygiene – it’s also about affirming their agency and their rights. SHE28 extends beyond our work and collaboration with girls and women to include boys and men, because when everyone is engaged, everyone wins.

Why I Volunteer for SHE: Meet Sam Schulman

Sam offered her brand and design skills with her Interbrand colleagues for a day of service.

Sam offered her brand and design skills with her Interbrand colleagues for a day of service.

How did you find out about SHE?

SHE and Interbrand partnered for Interbrand’s Month of Service in July 2014. SHE was selected out of many non-profit submissions to participate in a one-day intensive workshop to tackle key brand challenges.

What project did you work on with SHE? Whom did you work with? How did you use your skills and talents to help advance SHE’s mission?

We worked with Elizabeth Scharpf (founder and CEO), Connie Lewin (Strategic Partnerships and Marketing Director) and SHE’s Marketing Intern. Originally, the focus was on understanding how to implement visual assets as a result of a recent rebrand. What evolved was a deeper focus on differentiating SHE’s primary campaign, SHE28, from the SHE global brand to ensure SHE could be better leveraged as a platform to communicate the broader objectives of the organization, and support future growth. In just 8 hours, we completed an extraordinary amount together – we developed a messaging platform to express the brand personality; made adjustments to both the SHE and SHE28 logos, introducing greater clarity and flexibility in the visual system; and finally, a brand playbook that included visual, verbal and strategic guidance for implementing the brand effectively.

What are some highlights of your volunteer work with SHE?

Our day with SHE remains one of my career highlights. Not only is the SHE team incredibly passionate about what they do, but they have created a really interesting and sustainable business model unlike many in the space. The team was engaged and decisive which allowed us to iterate together to get to successful solutions.

Sam Schulman brand work as SHE volunteer

Sam and her Interbrand colleagues worked with SHE to produce a brand guide, a refreshed SHE logo, and actionable content all in one day!

What should people know about SHE?

Working with SHE opened my eyes to a topic I had previously known very little about. The work SHE is doing is unique and powerful and I can’t wait to see what SHE tackles next as it continues to grow and make lasting change at a global scale!

SHE has been named a Classy Awards Finalist

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We have some exciting news to share. SHE has been named a Classy Awards Finalist, of the 100 most innovative nonprofits and social enterprises of 2016! We couldn’t be more excited to share the news with supporters like you that make our work possible.

Classy Awards Finalists are a prestigious group of nonprofits and social enterprises selected for their excellence in social innovation and ability to solve a social problem. This year, Classy had 1300 programs across all cause categories submit nominations, and the competition was at an all-time high. The application process was rigorous and intensive, and we were judged using stringent criteria that assesses an organization’s potential to solve a problem and innovative solution.

Our SHE28 program, along with the 99 other Finalists, is now in the running to become a Winner. Our fate is being passed on to the Leadership Council, a diverse board of experts and thought leaders who will collectively vote to determine the 10 Classy Award Winners.

As a supporter, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating this momentous occasion. It’s a great honor to be recognized for our efforts and creative solutions that are making a dramatic impact on the world. If you want to share with your network, here is some copy:

Congratulations @SHEnterprises on being a #classyawards Finalist! The 100 most innovative nonprofits of 2016 >> collab.live/finalists-2016  

So what’s next? Becoming a Classy Awards Finalist means we’ll be traveling to Boston this June 14-16 for the Collaborative + Classy Awards, the largest social innovation event of the year! We’ll have the opportunity to meet and mingle with some amazing folks, like leaders from the United Nations Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Echoing Green, charity:water, and many more. The event ends with the Classy Awards, where the 10 Winners are announced live on stage in a surprise celebration. Join us as our special guest and be a part of the exciting celebration.

Thank you for your support!