We had the good fortune of connecting with Pauline Faith Gartor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pauline Faith, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We started our social enterprise not only because we wanted to give economic independence to our nonprofit, the Girls Health Alliance but the “Girls Care Kit” is an evidence-based and well well-determined approach that practically addresses poor hygiene tragedies among adolescents and school-age girls, and harnesses the untapped resources of vulnerable girls and teen mothers by developing them into entrepreneurs with the kits while giving financial sustainability to Girls Health Alliance in the absence of donor’s grant.

The Girls Care Kit aims to address multiple problems facing adolescents’ well-being far beyond just a sanitary pad. The kit contains everything a need to take care of her body and live a healthy lifestyle which we believe builds self-confidence and promote dignity in adolescence. Our reusable pad will save an economically disadvantaged girl the stress of buying pads every day. The Girls Care Kit is more than just a pad. To read more about our work and our non for profit visit www.girlshealthalliance.org or you can find us on Facebook using the Girls Care Kit.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For the past eleven years, I have dedicated my life to championing the rights of girls and young women in Liberia and around the globe. I am presently one of the three hundred young leaders of UN Women National Gender Youth activists and a Member of the class of 2020 of the Women Deliver Young Leaders program. In addition to this, I have worked with several organizations including Plan International where I served as one of their Youth ambassadors for four years and I am presently a member of the Youth Coalition for Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights based in Canada.

I got inspired to establish the Girls Health Alliance after the death of my childhood friend from an unsafe abortion when she was only seventeen 17 years old and the subsequent death of my mother from a curable reproductive health condition due to a lack of skilled health attendants. These two tragedies have had me traumatized for years until I started advocating for women and girls’ sexual reproductive health rights, and gender equality. The journey was never easy, especially for someone like me from a poor community. I feel so emotional right now for all that I have been through. I would like to say that my passion for social change especially gender equality and SRHR kept me going. At the beginning of my professional journey and even up to the present I have always been willing to volunteer. Volunteerism helps you to meet people of like minds who could support your dream. On this journey, I continue to meet passionate and committed people who are willing to support me because of my networking skills. Get out there, reach out and never stop applying for opportunities. Don’t put money first because the bigger your network the greater your influence. One lesson I have learned is to be constant and at the same time inspire by failures along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take her to Labasa Beach, Mamba hotel, and a trip around the capital Monrovia.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Kindly permit me to do a Shootout for our Co-Founders, mentors, and Supporters listed below:

Damaris Jackson
Esther karr
Promise Gborweah and the entire team at the Girls Care Kit.

Organization
Women Deliver
Being a Women Deliver Young Leader has impacted my life and supported my activism and social entrepreneurship journey.

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Girls Health Alliance -Communication Team

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.