About Us
Power Of Pads was known as Friends of Buburi which is still our registered charity name. We’re run by four UK based Trustees and we’re committed to helping girls access reusable sanitary products and offer women the opportunity to start sanitary pad making projects and businesses.
As Friends of Buburi, we financially supported a healthcare clinic in the community of Buburi in Western Kenya. Thousands of local people are treated every year and significant funds were raised and donated by the charity to pay the staff salaries, buy medicine and build a new maternity/in-patient clinic, laboratory and kitchen. The charity very successfully maintained the clinic for over 15 years, and the partnership ended in February 2020.
A few years ago we started a small pilot project, providing washable reusable sanitary pads to girls there. The pads were made by volunteers in the UK and taken by the Trustees and hand delivered to schoolgirls most in need. Following the success of this project and the obvious huge demand for pads, we developed our efforts into our work at Power Of Pads. The pads are now made in the local communities in Kenya and distributed to the most needy girls.
Our Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles
Our vision
A world without period poverty
Our mission
To end period poverty by providing sanitary products and start up business funding, with the aim of improving educational outcomes, increasing empowerment and achieving financial independence for girls and women
Our guiding principles
- girls and women are at the heart of what we do and we will be guided and informed by their real needs
- we can make a bigger difference if we work in partnership with individuals and organisations
- we’re open, honest and pragmatic about our activities
- by providing support we can help foster long term sustainability in local communities
Trustees
We have four Trustees and all are based in the South West of the UK. We have a huge amount of healthcare experience in the UK and Kenya, and extensive business experience. We have no staff so the Trustees do all of the work associated with running our charity, voluntarily of course.
Sallie Buck
Sallie trained in London as a nurse and then as a midwife and she specialised in primary care training as a nurse practitioner. Having taken early retirement she worked in disaster zones around the world as a ShelterBox Response Team volunteer. In her spare team she is a devoted grandmother.
Gilly Sowden
Gilly is the Chair of Trustees and ran her own company for many years. She now works for a charity in the UK that supports victims of abuse. She was inspired to get involved with POP after learning about the huge direct impact that the charity’s efforts have on communities in Western Kenya.
Mark Chambers
Mark is our Treasurer and was Operations Director for a Health Insurance Company. He is also a qualified accountant. He has worked with a charity that supports children in Bangalore, and through the Princes Trust, he also mentors and provides financial guidance to young people.
Rachel Fowler
Rachel is a qualified solicitor and has worked in London and offshore. She has previously worked with a variety of different charities including providing pro bono advice to trafficking victims, assisting with grant applications and most recently as a delivery driver for a local food bank.
If you would like a copy of our latest annual report please email us at info@powerofpads.com