Edit: the race is cancelled and the UK quarantine doesn't allow us to go to Brittany. So we decided instead that we will cycle the length of the island coast path hence 83km somewhere in the UK. Help us reach our objective!

In a nutshell, we are running 64km to raise money for a Togolese project meant to empower young girls by giving them access to reusable and locally-made sanitary pads. We strongly believe that  our periods should never get in the way of our education and our individual journey and that no woman in the world should have to struggle to cover her basic menstrual needs. We are also convinced that change will come from women that are given access to knowledge and freedom. Please support us by donating! Every small bit counts.

For once, Lena and Marguerite have decided to run without pushing a wheelbarrow full of compost. That doesn't mean that our run will be without a purpose. To celebrate the end of our internship at Schumacher College, we decided to throw ourselves a challenge: help Marguerite's mother's NGO coup de pousse in raising 9000€ in order to launch a project called SavaNana in the North of Togo. This project reconciles many causes that are dear to our heart: the empowerment of women, the education of children, the support of the local economy and sustainability. 

What is the project? In Togo's Savannah region, like in many other countries of Africa and beyond, lack of money and awareness lead to a shortage of sanitary protection for girls. Periods are often perceived as shameful and seen as a taboo. As a result, girls miss school when they are having their period (more  here or  here) which has dramatic effects on their education and their future. Coup de pousse wants to support these young high-school- girls through the creation of a local association called SavaNana. The association will locally manufacture and distribute  reusable sanitary pads. They will be distributed free of charge to all female students from year/grade 5 to 9 in all schools subsidized by coup de pousse. They will also be commercialized locally. And because sanitary pads shouldn't be sorry-looking and out of sight, they will be bright & colourful!
Coup de pousse already initiated a pilot with a few high schools. Here is their feedback  (french  video).

The funding raised will be used for:
•    training the seamstresses,
•    sourcing the raw materials,
•    supporting the local commercialization of the products.

 100% of the donations are funding specifically to the SavaNana project (with the exception of third-party processing fees)

What does the run look like? On September 19th we will take part in the 2020's edition of  Belle-Île-en-trail with (among others) 18 other runners raising funds for coup de pousse. We will run a harsh but beautiful coastal track. Lena will be engaging in the daunting but enthralling challenge of running her first 45k (half-way around the island) whilst Marguerite will be more modestly but with no less stamina run the 19k loop (her post-surgery knee is not willing to let her run more). 

Please feel free to contact us to ask any questions!

With much love, flowers and soil.

Your food growers/maraîchères/Marktgärtner
Lena and Marguerite (a.k.a MarLena)