Sweet Sixteen Summit – #Sweet16Summit 

What does a 16 year old girl want for her birthday? A trip up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for sanitary wear, to distribute to young disadvantaged and at risk girls!

Sehera Bisnath turned sweet sixteen on 23 May 2017 and this is exactly what she asked for. Her parents are sponsoring the entire trip so all funds raised will be donated to Dignity Dreams for the purpose of distributing washable sanitary wear and menstrual educational material to disadvantaged communities.

Sehera’s birthday coincided with International Menstrual Hygiene Management Day which is celebrated worldwide on 28 May.

This year’s theme of ‘Education about Menstruation Changes Everything’, speaks to Sehera’s ambition.

Climbing Kilimanjaro will challenge her both mentally and physically. She believes that we all have our own mountain to climb and in certain communities that mountain is poverty.

‘I thought that I would focus my energy. I can share my 16th birthday and my voice with young women who cannot be heard. I want to raise awareness and as much money as I can to help these young women have access to sanitary wear and menstrual education.’

This climb, known as the #Sweet16Summit (Sweet Sixteen) is an important step towards lifting the taboos around menstruation. You can read all about Sehera’s preparation and training for the climb by following her page on Facebook @sweet16summit.

She plans to summit on 25 July. She is attempting the climb with her Dad and five other climbers from South Africa.

Sehera is setting an example to young girls everywhere. She can climb a mountain and be a young woman, who menstruates, all at the same time. Sehera’s quest is supported by the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Menstrual education and health is still considered as taboo, spoken about in hushed tones with myths passing from generation to generation. Menstruation a normal biological function, essential to the continuation of the human race, often leaves many women with no access to menstrual education or products. This in turn affects self esteem, performance and participation in school and extra- curricular activities.

With your help and Sehera’s #Sweet16Summit she hopes to impact on the lives of many girls in need. All donations to this campaign will be donated to Dignity Dreams, an NGO who has been manufacturing and distributing washable sanitary wear and menstrual education to young women for over 4 years.

Donate to Sehera’s quest today. Please contact sharon@dignitydreams.com for more information, alternatively visit our website www.dignitydreams.com.

Follow her Sweet sixteen journey on Facebook – CLICK HERE