Her Campus (HC): What is the S&S Panty Protection Program?
Sofia & Shondy (S&S): The S&S Panty Protection Program is a movement that we started to provide underprivileged women with feminine products.
HC: What experiences do each of you have with service volunteering?
S&S: Shondy has been going to Haiti for the past five years on mission trips and Sofia has done mission work in the past as well.
HC: What inspired the creation of this organization?
Shondy: I had been going to Haiti for a while, but felt like I wasn’t really making a significant impact on the people I was encountering. Both Sofia and I felt called to do ministry work by serving women and providing for people’s needs.
Sofia: When I saw a video about women in America who weren’t able to afford pads or tampons, I knew that God was calling me to be an answer to this devastating problem. That’s when I asked Shondy if the women in Haiti would be in need of this as well. It was crazy because she had been dreaming of doing the same thing for a while. Thus, the Panty Protection Program was born.
HC: What should readers know about the women and girls in Haiti that you are serving?
S&S: These women and girls in Haiti are precious and their lives are so valuable. They are extremely hardworking, yet many of them lack the resources needed to take care of themselves and their families.
HC: How do you hope to impact these women and girls’ lives?
S&S: We hope to change their lives through a simple package of pads and underwear. We want to bring them the hope of the Gospel, while also giving them dignity and confidence. Many of these women have to miss school, work or can get really sick due to a lack of hygiene because they don’t have what they need for their periods. This is a way to give independence to these women and show them that they matter and that people care.
HC: What talents and interests are you applying to your work in PPP?
Sofia: I can sew, which is how I am able to sew the headbands that we are selling to raise money for the trip, as well as sewing reusable pads that we are bringing to the women. I love fashion, traveling, Jesus, writing and helping people, so basically this whole movement encompasses all of my interests in one great way to help others!
Shondy: I am great at communicating and I am creative as well, so I get to use those talents in this organization. I have a passion for women and fighting poverty so these interests of mine go exactly with what we’re doing.
HC: What do you hope PPP can accomplish in years to come?
S&S: We want to reach women all over the world! In the United States, Mexico, Africa, Asia, South America, everywhere. Anywhere that God calls us go, we want to respond. Our dream is to protect the panties and bring hope to so many women in the years to come.
HC: What can readers do to get involved with PPP?
S&S: We have a few ways readers can help! People can donate funds through PayPal or Venmo ($12 helps us make 10 reusable pads for women!), buy a headband to help fund our trip (they’re really cute!) or send us pads or underwear. Lastly, they should follow us on Facebook and Instagram so they can stay up to date with what we’re doing! All of this information can be found on our website. Oh, and if you want to come on the trip, email us because we need all the hands we can get to help reach these women.