Three years ago I was sitting in a fancy notary office, signing some fancy papers for nookees drinking Viva con Agua water while doing so. At this moment I thought, how amazing would it be one day to get in contact with this amazing brand and the amazing people behind it and maybe even work together in some way, shape, or form.
A bit later on I saw a LinkedIn post by Michael Fritz
He was holding Viva con Agua water and Goldeimer toilet paper while standing in front of Alnatura. I wrote him a message and asked how about reusable period products and the fact that there are hundreds of millions of menstruating people suffering from period poverty (not just) in the global south. And this is how it all started.
We exchanged ideas, his wonderful wife Agnes Fritz jumped in and things went on. During that time I was living in Berlin, just came back from the six-year-old world trip I did with my son Max, but already felt that at some point we would love to leave again. Over and over South Africa came into my mind, and when Agnes mentioned that we could probably do a project together in collaboration with Viva Con Agua South Africa, I immediately felt it. Let's say:
I freaked out of joy!
To separate my social work a bit more clearly from the start-up, I reached out to bcause and started the nookees foundation. This was an important step not just for myself but also for the people around nookees to feel, that my mission to do something against period poverty is not just a superficial marketing but an emotional heart thing.
Some weeks ago I came back from Bulungula, a rural area in the Eastern Cape of South Africa where step by step we implement our menstrual hygiene project and work together with the wonderful community over there. My son Max, my best friend and some incredible people like Fritz and Max Sitte have been part of it.
I am sitting here now, reflecting on everything I learned in the past days, months, and years and how it led me to where I am exactly here and now.
And more than ever I am feeling the vision I have for nookees: Menstruation products for everybody. Everywhere. Every month. What a difference a post makes, and how many incredibly wonderful things can happen due to it.
