Shades of Us

Shades of Us Storytelling Initiative for African People (‘Shades of Us’) is a Nigerian non-profit organization using storytelling to address the socio-economic issues affecting Africa, Africans, and people of African descent. Shades of US used the Giving Joy grant to produce and disseminate “Flow” – a film focusing on period poverty showcasing the experiences of women and girls who cannot afford menstrual hygiene products, along with their families and other supporting community members.

Over a period of 8 months (August 2023 - February 2024), Shades of Us engaged communities, menstrual health implementing partners in Nigeria and South Africa, women and girls from internally displaced camps to dialogue about menstrual hygiene and health. Giving Joy grant funds played a crucial role in facilitating script development, casting, and location scouting, supporting stakeholder engagement, covering essential expenses for workshops and refreshments, and enabling a planned donation of sanitary products to students. These activities have resulted in enhanced skills and experience in film production for team members, strengthened organizational ties with schools and partners, and positioned Shades of Us as a catalyst for awareness on period poverty and menstrual hygiene.

The grant had direct and indirect benefits to a substantial number of individuals within the community, including workshop participants, actors, students, and potential beneficiaries of advocacy initiatives. Initially, the project aimed to reach 5,000 people in the Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through screenings and social media promotion. Ultimately, the film reached approximately 430,000 (!) individuals through community screenings, newsletters, events and social media!!