Being named Young Australian of the Year 2021 is no mean feat by any measure.
An accolade richly deserved when you realise what she has actually done and the people that she did it for. And by the age of 18.
The girl from Unley, Adelaide makes us all proud of our city and what it can give back to society and the World.
I know that every time I drive down Greenhill Road from my home, on my left resides a young individual who has a big heart, a big vision and went bigger than Adelaide.
With classmate and co-founder Eloise Hall, she tapped technology for crowd funding. Went green in manufacturing, both in one go.
Breaking down a taboo
At the age of 18, both girls still in school, conceived a way to address the stigma of menstruation by bringing it to the fore.
A subject that is typically not for open discussion or even gets media attention anywhere around the World. And not just the developing countries.
Their plan included manufacturing and providing hygiene products that are ethically made and affordable for many in the developing countries.
If you are not aware, a female that is menstruating may not go to school or work or leave the house even when no pain or cramps are involved in communities around the World. It was inconvenient.
Some cultures do not allow them to leave their home as they are considered “unclean” even though it is the very genesis of human reproduction and civilisation.
Even to this day in some communities, one can have a car, a home, a professional job and yet follow an ancient tradition of not stepping into a place of worship because it is considered an affront to God. Clearly man made.
The above explains why it is a difficult area to venture into in the first place.
In one aspect, cost along is the overriding part of the problem. Many do not leave the home as they don’t have access to products or just cannot afford them. This is what is called “period poverty”.
Crowdfunding and social enterprise
Both the ladies began by crowdfunding to the tune of AUD 56,000 with a plan behind it.
I personally thought it was ambitious as the it involved 2 areas of great difficulty. One, the target countries were far, and more concerning is the sourcing of materials and producing a range of hygiene products to address the issue.
If you notice, most charitable activities start and end with donations raised which are then passed to organisations and those in need. It is incidental and does not fix underlying issues in the long run. This was different. It involved production of goods and not passing the donated money over.
I always wondered if they were not 18 but 28 or older, they would likely have dropped the production aspect altogether. Maturity tends to see things with different and sometimes the wrong optics.
At 18 and still in school, it is still the age of innocence and deep hope. For those they were helping, it was fortuitous. Maturity did not get in the way of a vision.
Taboo and period poverty
While most of us would be traipsing around the World in our gap year, for Isobel and Eloise it was different.
They launched their online not-for-profit social enterprise called “Taboo”. To source and manufacture organic pads and tampons for school girls in Africa and India.
Aimed for girls that would have dropped out of school due to “Period poverty”.
This is their website – https://tabooau.co. This is the team that is running the show – https://tabooau.co/pages/team. So it is not a flash in the pan. It has grown and it is substantial and sustainable.
The team have now come full circle. They are helping period poverty closer to home, in Australian communities. As I pointed out, it is a taboo subject and nobody including those who need it want to put their hands up.
Not just organic as I understand that they are manufacturing the products in a factory in Barcelona. Specially picked as it is run on hydro power for sustainability. I suppose they are of the generation that appreciates the Earth better and will do all they can to fix and keep it for generations to come.
Izzy
Izzy as she is known to family and friends is doing Medicine at Adelaide University besides running her social enterprise. Someone told me that Medicine by itself is tough but I guess some are more able than most.
Is it just her or is it the water in Adelaide or her parents that raised her right. Or is it the school and the city and country that moulds such characters. My guess is it’s all these and the company one keeps.
A quick google will give a treasure trove of her journey as well as the picture with our Prime Minister.
I am however going give a shot at words that carry meanings in one sentence.
Taboo, tampons, crowdfunding, organic, period poverty, social enterprise, Kenya, India, Barcelona and a hydro-powered factory. Do the math as the Americans like to say.
Wish you well Izzy. Good things come to good people and you are one. We are proud that you are an Australian from Adelaide, South Australia.