Think about it.
There are few things worse than feeling pressured to do something you know is a good idea, but just don’t have the desire or interest to do. A perfect case in point: quitting smoking.
Many of us have endured the relentless monologues listing all the health and financial reasons why quitting is the only option.
All of the arguments are robust and usually come from a place of love and concern for our wellbeing. So why is it that most of us clam up and become stubborn when dealing with bad habits, even when we know that making a small change could be far more beneficial than harmful?
As social psychologist Wendy Wood explains, “Habits are mental shortcuts that reduce decision-making and make it easy to repeat what we have done in the past.” That’s why old routines pull us back—even when we consciously want to change.
Thankfully, humans are not doomed by their habits. With awareness and intention, we can choose differently, making small yet powerful decisions that can ripple into a life-changing impact for a young girl.
Small swaps, big impact
It doesn’t take a grand gesture to change a life.
Often, it’s the little things we hardly notice that really add up.
It might be worth reviewing some of your everyday habits — and discovering how quickly they could translate into freedom for a young girl in South Africa. Here are some ideas to get you started:
That takeaway coffee — £4.
Skip just once, and you’ve freed up enough to keep four schoolgirls covered for a whole month.
An impulse chocolate bar and drink at the checkout — £2.
That tiny saving protects two girls from the indignity of period poverty for a month.
A forgotten streaming subscription — £11.99.
Cancel it, and suddenly you’ve covered 12 girls for a month.
A fizzy drink or bottled water — around £1.50.
Swap for tap water now and then, and that’s a girl and a half (round it up — two girls!) supported every time.
One less takeaway meal — £15.
That’s the dignity of 15 girls restored for a month.
And please remember, £25 provides for an entire classroom for a month. One small swap in your routine could mean no girl in that classroom has to miss a lesson, hide away, or feel ashamed.
No pressure, just possibility
This isn’t about guilt or obligation. It’s about possibility. The possibility of turning a habit you won’t miss into a future that a young woman will never forget. For just £25 per month, you can lift an entire classroom of girls out of period poverty. That’s one small swap — and one life-changing gift.
