PHASE: Pilot
CATEGORY: Poverty
Jen-ai
North America

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Jen-ai empowers women worldwide using revenues from the sale of our stylish outdoor apparel to invest in post-primary education programs for girls.

Standings & Awards

422 out of 422 in North America
179 out of 179 in Poverty
574 out of 574 in Pilot
555 out of 555 in For-Profit
4003 out of 4003 Overall

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VOTES

Girls who complete 7+ years of school marry later, have smaller, healthier families, and earn more money.

We make paddle sports apparel for women that looks fantastic and fits beautifully. Think of our products as a cute alternative to uncomfortably revealing bikinis, fugly shorts and spandex. Though they are made with paddling in mind, our skirts and dresses are perfect for walks, hikes, and urban explorations. On top of that, we love people and the earth. We hand sew in the USA and use 100% upcycled plastic bottle fabrics. We dedicate 1% of our topline revenues, which is much more than even 25% of profits, to support girls’ education. The sale of one skirt provides 2 days of tuition, room, and board for a girl to study in safety with community support in Nepal. Educating girls stops the cycle of poverty and builds stronger, happier, healthier communities, which is critical for everyone who calls Earth home. 

"Jen-ai" means benevolence, humanity, and love for people. Our business embodies love for people on multiple levels. Our sew house in the USA employs immigrant women who are at high risk for exploitation and trafficking. Our products empower women to wear clothing that is comfortable and feminine, allowing an athlete the option of retaining her femininity and modesty alongside her tenacity. In fact, women of all ages report feeling more confident when they are covered by a skirt than when they are exposed in spandex or a swimsuit. Finally, our dedicated funding of girls’ education gives the most underserved, overlooked, and exploited segment of people, our girls, a chance to learn to read, write, add, subtract, and stand up for themselves, their goals, and their desires. 

FIVE PROJECT QUESTIONS Required (60 - 90 minutes)

1. What is your innovation? 
Jen-ai combines a high-profit apparel business with the dedication of 1% of revenues, much more than a dedication of profits, for girls' education. We love Mother Earth and her people. We have built our business to care for both the best way we know how. We make multi-functional products out of upcycled fabric to reduce waste. We fund girls education because we know this stops the cycle of poverty and leads to smaller healthier families who can better care for themselves and Mother Earth.
2. Who gains the most? 
Everyone gains, but the girls who persevere through school gain life skills that can lead them to independence. Education leads girls away from the real and elevated threats of neglect, exploitation, discrimination, and violence that impoverished girls face. In contrast to girls with no schooling, girls who complete 7 or more years of school marry 4 years later and have 2.2 fewer children who are twice as likely to survive past age 5 and twice as likely to go to school themselves.
3. Who pays? 
Our customers pay competitive retail prices for our skirts, dresses, and other apparel products. In addition to fantastic upcycled clothing they can wear exploring and relaxing; our customers get the knowledge that they are helping girls and communities around the globe learn and prosper.
4. What is your success? 
Our two-part success is: 1. Selling a growing line of products worldwide, not just in the US as we do now. 2. Funding thousands of girl graduates. We measure our impact over time with dollars invested and the number of girl graduates we’ve funded. Both of the organizations we currently support have several measurements in place. $250 at Room to Read allows one very deserving girl to attend school for a year. $125 at Edge of Seven provides one girl with room, board, and tuition for a year.
5. How will you do it? 
We currently sell product to consumers directly and are in the process of expanding to specialty retail partners in the US. We have partnered with Edge of Seven and Room to Read to fund their girls' education programs. Their successful programs offer material and advocacy support for girls thru post-secondary education. Our internal Giving Committee ensures that we partner with organizations that make positive and lasting impact on the lives of girls.

Badges & Awards

Semifinalist
Semi-finalist Project 2012
Project Participant DSIC 2012
2012 DSIC Project Participant

Mentors

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Gunjeet Sra
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