Baker McKenzie partners with Jumeirah English Speaking School Dubai to advance ‘The Period Empowerment Project’

On International Women’s Day, Baker McKenzie announced its partnership with the Jumeirah English Speaking School Dubai (JESS), a leading British international school based in Dubai, to further advance the school’s transformative ‘Period Empowerment Project’. The project aims to raise awareness of period poverty on a global scale and create gender equality, improved health outcomes and increased educational opportunities for young females living in poverty.

Founded in 2019 by a group of three year 12 students, the project started with the development of period poverty awareness campaigns which transpired into the production and distribution of 2,500 sanitary towels to over 800 teenage girls and women in Zambia, enabling them to consistently attend school and ultimately boosting gender equity, as well as the delivery of lessons on menstrual hygiene and female self-esteem –topics long considered a cultural taboo in Africa. Since then, the project has generated various partnerships within the private sector to enable continued educational achievement and upskilling for employment opportunities for many young African females. This year, the project aims to produce and deliver over 2,500 of its one-of-a-kind sustainable sanitary towels to teenage girls in Cambodia, as well as building a water tower for the school, providing access to clean water and safe toilet cubicles.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the partnership kicks off with Baker McKenzie lawyers and select clients, JESS students and faculty, and the broader community, collaborating in an awareness-raising workshop on reusable and sustainable sanitary kits. In the long-run, Baker McKenzie will continue to support JESS and add value to the programme, by establishing a governance framework to expand the project’s reach and impact, including setting policies for participating schools in destination countries to take on the responsibility for awareness-raising and knowledge sharing to schools and communities within their jurisdictions.

Commenting on Baker McKenzie’s involvement, Borys Dackiw, managing partner of Baker McKenzie in the UAE, expressed, “As a leading global law firm, we are committed to applying our legal knowledge, talent, resources, and expertise to support positive and impactful projects that contribute to the well-being of communities in need. This project is consistent with our firm’s global values of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity values, as well as our Pro Bono strategy to support and serve communities across the globe. It aligns with the expectations of our clients, our people, and the communities in which we live and work. We are honored to have collaborated with JESS on this exciting project.”

Shane O’Brien, director of JESS, stated, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Baker McKenzie on ‘The Period Empowerment Project’ which is a student led project that fosters the JESS values of respect, care and integrity. The Project is now in its fourth year and focuses on creating a sustainable solution and thus empowering young women globally. The Project has directly assisted over 800 young women throughout Zambia, and we are pleased to announce that this year the Project will expand to Cambodia. By highlighting the adversity that many females face by virtue of their biological functions, Period Empowerment aims to create a more equitable future where every girl has the opportunity to pursue education without barriers. We are extremely grateful to Baker McKenzie for the ongoing support. Partnerships enable the Project to continue achieving its aim and objectives and to grow year on year,” he concluded.

The Baker McKenzie team was led by partner Tina Hsieh, a member of the Firm’s Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Committee in the Middle East. Commenting on the project, she said, “In some parts of the world, girls are forbidden from socialising and going to school while menstruating. We are delighted to be part of this period empowerment journey with JESS. Our collaboration has further raised awareness about period poverty and highlighted the importance of education to empower young females living in poverty, something which the school has been leading on since 2019. We now look forward to delivering the sanitary kits to those who need it most and building awareness campaigns effecting lasting change in mindsets”.”

The holistic approach of the project extends beyond providing sustainable sanitary solutions for menstrual hygiene. The long-term vision is to empower women in rural communities globally by enabling continued educational achievement and economic independence through potential employment opportunities. Additionally the project continues to educate our future generations to challenge the stigma associated with menstrual health and to promote inclusivity.

Further support to the project was also provided by Linen Obsession and Gulf For Good.