Lasallian Women of Hope (LWH) fosters educational access, empowers girls and women, and creates sustainable change.
Mission
The mission of Lasallian Women of Hope (LWH) is to ensure girls and women enjoy full access to their Lasallian education. LWH began in June 2016 as a small project providing grassroots female empowerment while developing sustainable solutions to mitigate obstacles impeding educational access. Through its grants, LWH delivers creative, effective and durable solutions to educational inequities for girls and women throughout the Lasallian global educational community. In 2025, LWH was designated as a 1 La Salle Flagship Project.
History
LWH started in 2016 with the Pad Project at Mwangaza College in Nakuru, Kenya. It resulted from the discovery that young women would engage in “situational prostitution” to purchase personal hygiene products needed to attend classes during their menstrual periods. “Period poverty” is one of many gender-specific obstacles girls and young women confront in accessing quality education.
Proposed Projects for 2026: Celebrating 10 Years of Removing Obstacles and Providing Pathways to Education for Girls and Young Women
INDIA: Water, Sanitation and Health (WASH) Project
St. La Salle Pudumanam Industrial Institute, Dindigul, India
Beginning in January 2026, a five-month course on Personal Health Care and Menstrual Education will be provided to over 150 girls. In May 2026, a new restroom complex, which will enhance sanitation and health experiences of the school community, will be dedicated as part of the school’s Silver Jubilee celebrations.
NIGERIA: Stay in School, Stay Confident: A Menstrual Health Initiative for Girls
Naka, Mount La Salle, Naka, Nigeria
This initiative addresses the need to restore dignity to young high school girls through proper education and support for menstrual health management. The project will engage medical professionals to educate the girls on proper menstrual hygiene and provide personal hygiene items. Through these interventions, many girls in Naka will be empowered with accurate knowledge, confidence and healthy practices regarding their menstrual cycles.
SOUTH AFRICA: Menstrual Hygiene Project for Young Women
Tsholofelo, South Africa
This project will restore the dignity of schoolgirlsby addressing the many facets of period poverty. Improvement in understanding menstrual health and hygiene supports better attendance in school, improved self-confidence and attitudes toward their bodies and acceptance by others.
Learn More about LWH
- “Lasallian Women of Hope: Removing Obstacles to Education,” De La Salle Today, Spring-Autumn 2020
- LWH held a virtual celebration, themed “Streams of Hope: Creating New Pathways,” on October 1, 2022, hosted at various locations throughout the world, including Chicago, Illinois; Nairobi, Kenya; New York, New York; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Oxford, England; Rome, Italy; and San Francisco, California. Watch the recording.
Current and Past Projects
Lasallian Girls Schools, Pakistan
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WASH Project for the Silver Jubilee, St. La Salle Pudumanam Industrial Institute, Dindigul, India
Child Discovery Center, Nakuru, Kenya
Lasallian Women of Madagascar
Hygiene Project for Young Women in Tsholofelo, South Africa
Mwangaza College, Nakuru, Kenya
Pad Project • Programming for the Advancement of Women
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Lasallian Family of Papua New Guinea
Pad Project • Hygiene Hampers • 2022 Women’s Symposium • Lasallian Women Advocates for Change
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Tumba Community, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Pad Project • Programming for the Advancement of Women
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Collège Saint Jean Baptist de La Salle, Port au Prince, Haiti
Pad Project• Menstrual and Hygiene Education
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Puthu Vasantham Girls Village, Dindigul, India
Health Awareness Camp • Pad Project • Naturopathy Treatments • Medical Check-Ups • Guest Speakers on Health and Well-being
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Get in Touch!
Online: La Salle International Foundation
Email: LasallianWomenofHope@gmail.com
Facebook: @LasallianWomenofHope