Local women lift the lives of local teenage girls.

This is WISSP.

Students from The Pennington School’s STEM program used the engineering design process to create an innovative menstrual product and a delivery system called “WISSP.”

With WISSP, local women sew and sell these menstrual products, keeping teenage girls in school so they can achieve their vocational ambitions.

WISSP

WISSP = Women in STEM Solving Problems

We designed and built an economic infrastructure for refugee women to sew, sell, and use WISSP to boost the number of teenage girl school hours and, in the process, help them attain business skills. In addition, WISSP is also about working with the next generation of STEM leaders to experience the impact of human-centered design.

Our Vision

We believe the world would be a better place if students invest their time and intellect to solve real-world problems, applying science to improve the quality of life for all, particularly for refugee teen girls [stay in school, achieve their vocational goals and lift the quality of life in their communities].

STEM as a Force for Good

STEM as an intellectual, abstract field of study. The joy of learning to solve a real-world problem and to use skills to advance humanity isn’t prevalent in regular academic study. As students learn by doing, they grow interest, skills, and confidence in their own ability to use STEM to do good and improve the lives of others.

This program models Human Centered Design and the value of using STEM as a force for good. Through a partnership with the Jesuit Refugee Services supporting displaced people living at the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi, our STEM students work to address core human needs.

After studying Dzaleka, students identified three key areas of need: 1) technology, 2) reliable and affordable menstrual products; and, 3) access to water. This project works to address the second need, which when solved, will enable refugee teens to stay in school, achieve their vocational ambitions and support their community in important ways. The solution included:

  • Inventing the WISSP product using locally sourced materials that could be locally manufactured and distributed

  • Training local women on creating the pad

  • Developing the economic infrastructure to enable ongoing pad manufacturing and distribution through established community organizations (NGOs)

This work has impacted the lives of 1,600 sewers/sellers and/or beneficiaries (menstruating girls) who are now able to stay in school and achieve their full potential.