STORY PREVIEW

2025

Medipact: A promise to lift up the communities.

Prince of Wales Island International School

Penang

MENTOR

Darren Lim

Step 1 FEEL

List the challenges or problems in your surroundings (school,neighbourhood etc.) that bothered you.

Lack of funding results in many issues in the local community; through research we’ve identified that the main issues caused by this are their limited access to their basic needs like shelter and nutrition, healthcare and education. Everyone has a right to be aware of and make decisions for themselves, especially their own health, and we want to help inform these decisions so they can ensure alleviating hygiene-related infections.

State the problem chosen to work and why.

In the conservative cultural landscape in Malaysia, there is a stigma surrounding menstrual health and hygiene, which leads to inadequate awareness on how to manage these effectively. Accessing menstrual care can be especially difficult because of social discrimination and and a lack of education, and growing concerns on the environmental challenges related to the use of disposable products makes this even harder to address. Local communities such as refugees and households with below-40 income lack access to resources to manage their basic needs, such as funding, education and shelter. The lack of affordability of menstrual and wound care products accompanied by the characteristically stigmatised, limited nature of any relevant education provided has led to the development of inappropriate menstrual practices as foregoing necessary hygiene may be easier. Consequently, this has resulted in hygiene-related infections and contributed greatly to the deteriorating standard of health. We are specifically aiming to mitigate these hygiene-related infections, through education on effective use of available resources to appropriately maintain menstrual and wound care hygiene.

Who were the people affected by the problem? What were their primary concerns?

Underprivileged communities locally, especially women and youth that experience/will experience menstruation, are most affected by this problem. They are limited by a lack of funding to buy menstrual and first-aid items but primarily by the lack of a space where they can express their concerns and have their doubts answered.

Step 2 IMAGINE

List ALL the different solutions you came up with.

Our first idea was to create a simple kit containing adaptable medical supplies for remote communities, including a reusable sanitary pad roll, bandage clips, and water sanitising tablets. We initially planned to distribute this kit via vending machines at a very low price to make it widely accessible. After feedback showed some items were unfamiliar and confusing to use, we added an instruction booklet to explain their use and disposal. We then redesigned the kit into a bottle form, believing this shape would be more efficient and functional, while keeping the vending machine plan. The bottle included a bandage, disinfectant solution (chlorine dioxide), Aquatabs, a carbon block water filter, a women’s hygiene unit, and a carpenter/utility cutter. However, we realised vending machines would not be available in many remote or wilderness areas, meaning those who needed help most might not access it. This led us to shift focus from solely providing a physical product to prioritising education and awareness, enabling support anytime and anywhere. Initially, workshops were planned as formal presentations, but we redesigned them into interactive, station-based formats for greater engagement.

Which solution from those listed above did you choose to implement and why?

We chose to implement the combined basic first aid and sustainable women’s hygiene kit, containing reusable pads and menstrual cups, alongside interactive, station-based workshops. Early designs focused on physical accessibility via vending machines, but we recognised that many areas lack such infrastructure. Education became the priority, equipping people with knowledge and confidence to care for themselves in any situation. Changing the workshop format from formal presentations to interactive stations made learning more engaging, allowing participants to explore topics, ask questions, and practise skills. Including boys with scientific sessions helped broaden understanding. This approach met both practical and educational needs, creating a lasting impact through knowledge sharing as well as resource distribution.

Step 3DO

Describe very briefly the process of implementing your solution(s).

We organised a series of workshops focused on menstrual health and basic wound care, encouraging open discussion and participation in hands-on stations. Using school events and social media as a platform, we raised awareness and organised volunteers to support the initiative. Participants who would benefit most from the programme were invited to join through collaboration with local schools and organisations supporting women, youth, and underprivileged communities. The workshop content was planned and designed through careful curation of educational resources. We purchased the necessary materials and trained volunteers to conduct menstrual and first-aid demonstrations to effectively engage and support attendees.

What was the result or impact of your project?

Through the workshop, we provided the attendees an opportunity for open discussion, to voice their questions and concerns so these could be answered, allowing them to take charge of their own health. They learned proper menstrual practices through interactive stations where they were shown how to use pads and other alternatives to manage menstruation, how to dispose of these and the effects of not following proper menstrual hygiene through case studies. This was also carried out for first aid, effectively equipping them with skills to tackle different cuts, burns, and bruises, and how to approach different types of bandaging for their limbs and head. To conclude, the attendees partook in a quiz to reinforce their understanding. Through presentations to trusted advisors and teachers at school, parents of attendees, we helped raise awareness of this situation overall; this highlighted the importance of education and its role in empowering individuals to take charge of their own health and challenge the stigma surrounding menstruation and bleeding.

How many people were impacted by your solution(s)?

What did the impacted people have to say about your project? Provide 2 quotes or testimonials:

"The most important thing I learned was first aid, it was entertaining and fun. Injuries may happen and I myself am sure that I will be able to help my friends one day. Kids like us, they see bleeding or injuries and just think that it will be fine, but they don't know what will happen if other kinds of infections enter it, it would be very dangerous. This session taught me what to do when this happens and that I have to take care of my health much more than I thought before." - Male attendees of the workshop. "We learned why a period happens and how it works, and how to take care of ourselves during a period. We also learned how important menstrual hygiene is and how it can affect us if we don't follow the right steps to keep ourselves clean and healthy. Now I know how to take care of myself during a period and use the different period products." - Female attendees of the workshop.

What challenges did you encounter while implementing your project, and how did you overcome them?

One of the challenges we encountered was selecting the organizations for our audience. Initially, we chose WCC; however, due to delays in communication, we lost contact with them and subsequently reached out to other organizations, such as PWDC and Selfless Together, as our new target audience. Another challenge was our limited understanding of these groups. On the day of the workshop, we discovered that one participating school consisted of students whose first language was Mandarin, yet our slides did not include Mandarin titles. Fortunately, two of our team members were fluent in Mandarin and provided translation support throughout the workshop. We also experienced difficulties in scheduling, as all members of our team are high school students with limited availability. After discussions with the organizations, we ultimately decided to hold the workshop during our holiday period. Although some members were traveling, everyone managed to contribute, ensuring the success of the workshop.

How long did it take to implement your solution?

MORE THAN 30 DAYS

Which global goals does your story align with?

Good health and well being

Please explain briefly why do you think so?

Our project aligns most with SDGs 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) and SDGs 4 (Quality Education), to provide quality education and accessible information to those that we work with, in order to give them the skills and confidence to take care of their own health and wellbeing.

Step 4 SHARE

How did you share your project with your school and community? Who did you share your project with? What was their response?

Our initial idea was to create a kit containing essential medical supplies, which we planned to distribute to remote communities, especially in women communities. The goal was to promote both personal and women’s hygiene as well as injury care by providing the necessary resources to maintain health in underserved areas. The first version of our kit included items such as: Water filter, Anti-bacterial tablets, Antiseptic solution, Menstruation products, Cleaning agents, Bandage clips, Multipurpose tools, Antiseptic adhesive pads, Shot blockers, Refillable injectable tetanus toxoid (TT) shots, Painkillers, Oral rehydration salts, Anti-allergy medication, Vitamins, Hot/cold packs, Flashlight and Digital strip thermometer. Once we finalized the tools in the kit, we launched a survey form to gather insights on the accessibility of medical equipment in remote areas and options on each component that will be included in the kit from teachers in our schools. The survey included questions such as: "What issues do you see with medical accessibility in remote and underfunded communities?" "What are the biggest concerns that could be addressed by the concept of a medikit?" We received 14 responses, which helped us identify the most useful tools to include in the final version of our kit. Moreover, we set up a booth at our school’s summer fair, to help raise awareness of the lack of funding and resources in local communities and to introduce our Medipact project. We invited Summer Fair attendees to sign our “Medipact Book,” a commitment to supporting and uplifting underserved communities. Following a meeting with an assistant, we decided to extend our initiatives by not only to simply distribute resources, but also aimed to provide education on hygiene maintenance and basic injury management. To support this, we reached out to the Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) to collaborate on a workshop. While PWDC could not provide participants directly, they are welcome to help advertise the workshop on our behalf. Meanwhile, we launched our Instagram account, @themedipact, to raise awareness about health and hygiene and to promote our project to a wider audience. During the preparation phase, we also recruited volunteers via social media to help out at the workshop. These initiatives not only aim to educate young people on personal hygiene, women’s health, and injury care, but also to empower others to become active participants in creating change within the communities.

Approximately how many people did you share your story of change with?

More than 100

Briefly share your plan to sustain the impact of your project?

We plan to refine the contents of our medipact to include supplies that will cater even more specifically to the communities we will be distributing to. With the help of our local assembly woman we hope to reach out to nearby b40 communities to better understand the most pressing issues they face and how our medipact can be better adapted to aid these situations. We also plan to update the content of the infographics and booklet to better act as a practical guide for emergencies as well as a teaching resource for others to conduct workshops on topics of menstrual hygiene and first aid as well. We plan to reach out to locals schools in the district to conduct more workshops with them as well and observe how well our medipact can be used as a teaching resource by others. To sustain the funding/distribution and continuous conduction of workshops we will optimize use of our social media to carry out an ongoing fundraiser campaign and provide online resources that our growing network of volunteers/participants as well as anyone can use to contribute to the funding and distribution of the Medipact and conduction of our workshop.

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