Founder and managing director of Share the Dignity

Rochelle Courtenay is founder of the not-for-profit Share the Dignity, providing homeless and at-risk women Australia-wide with sanitary items to alleviate period poverty. More than 4000 volunteers and some of Australia’s biggest corporates support the charity, which has collected in excess of 1.7 million packets of sanitary items since forming in 2015. Affectionately known as “pad lady” Rochelle designed a world-first Dignity Vending Machine, known as the Pinkbox to dispense a free period pack of sanitary items. Pinkboxes are being installed in at need areas nation-wide.

Share the Dignity now also runs a Christmas appeal called #Itsinthebag where women are asked to donate a pre-loved or new handbag filled with sanitary items, some of other life’s essentials plus any other gift they may wish to donate. To add to her list of accomplishments Rochelle and her team of national supporters successfully campaigned the Federal Government to abolish the GST on sanitary items.