“Play the Race Card” is a project that aims to help and support midwives and health care professionals to improve outcomes for black and brown families.

Their vision is for those professionals to carry a set of “Play the Race Card” and use them to reflect and remind themselves about the specific Challenges that black and brown families face.

These cards encourage us to consider our stereotypes and to ensure they do not stop us from equally supporting all families.

Melissa qualified as a midwife 4 years ago and in this time she has completed an MSc in Genomic Medicine, won an alumni award, presented at conferences, published numerous papers in journals and written Trust guidelines.

As well as midwifing, she is a healthcare professional in the Covid19 vaccination programme and nearing the end of the second year of her Professional Doctorate.

She runs the Instagram account @_midwifelife_, which aims to inspire, encourage and educate aspiring, student and qualified midwives and allied health professionals.

Martha is founder of "Marthie’s Midwifery DIARY" and National Best Youth Leader in Cameroon.

She holds the position of President of the University of Buea Midwifery Students Association and she is Peer Educator with CAMNAFAW.

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  She has been able to reach out to 1,000+ women through her blog and she recently launched her Foundation called The ‘For Mom and Baby’ Foundation as the reach out sector of the diary.

 Future HOPE Salone organization was established in Sierra Leone in the year 2010 with its office in Lunsar Town. 

This organization was established to help vulnerable children, girls and youths to achieve their dreams in life. Over the years it has implimented many projects in partnership with other organizations.

She has a bachelor’s in global studies and a master’s degree in communication from Gothenburg University. She a passionate advocate for sexual and reproductive health and in her work, she seeks to create an inclusive and rights-based discourse around periods and menstrual health!

Kiana Beharry is a young professional with a passion for health promotion and sexual and reproductive rights. She is a recent Global Health graduate from York University, where she was able to explore many intersections of SRHR and its impact on youth. Kiana believes in empowering and encouraging youth to be involved in health promotional decisions and policies.   In her extra time, Kiana volunteers for grassroots organizations to continue working in a community outreach capacity.

Giada is an Italian-South African serial entrepreneur with a passion and talent for innovation led by a strong desire for positive social change. She founded Erotology - a nutraceutical company producing accessible, vegan and multi-beneficial solutions. The company currently services markets in South Africa, UK & Mauritius - expanding its reach globally. She has always been an advocate for youth and female rights and development. She volunteered at children's homes and provided marketing and business services - alas, spent most of these last 3 years giving entrepreneurship classes to underprivileged youth.

She is the author of  an illustrated health book, "My Body is Precious". She likes to write about social issues, specifically gender, diversity and inclusion, policy solutions and women empowerment, sanitation and hygiene.

Period Poverty UofE, a non-profit, student-led organization based on campus, which collects and distributes period products to places in need in the community, including organizations and shelters helping people who are experiencing homelessness, and women refuge centers. Period Poverty UofE was founded in 2018 by Saffron Roberts, who set up the initiative pre-legislation and continues to be the lifeblood of the organization and team.

Co-Founder of the “Play the Race Card”

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Mars is a coach and birth activist. A triple award winning doula, mentor, educator and coach with over 15 years experience, Mars is in high demand, both in the UK and across the world, as a speaker and trainer. Mars created Abuela Doulas a doula preparation course primarily, but not exclusively, for Black and Brown women, and is the Founder of BLA (Black Lives Abuela) Scholarship. This scholarship is to help Black women who wish to become doulas to train and not be held back by socio-economic disadvantage. She is Inclusion Consultant to several large companies causing them to look deep into their practise to make systemic and structural change.

Leane is a holistic therapist looking for ways to have the most natural pregnancy, labour and birth with confidence and calm.

KGHypnobirthing Practitioner, Trained in the 3-step rewind process for birth trauma, reflexologist, Swedish massage, Pregnancy massage, aromatherapy massage and Indian head massage.

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Instagram page: @wishfulmammy.

Facebook page: Wishful Mammy

Marthie’s Midwifery DIARY is a social media advocacy platform which aims at bridging the gap between women and their health.

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Marthie Ashu blogs by putting up educative write ups on her page in the form of Diary Sessions.

She a fourth-year English Literature student at the University of Edinburgh and current Undergraduate Manager of Period Poverty UofE, a non-profit, student-led organization based on campus, which collects and distributes period products to places in need in the community, including organizations and shelters helping people who are experiencing homelessness, and women refuge centers.

Sia holds a degree in Development Studies, is very passionate about the development sector, and is self-motivated in community growth. She understands the complexities of grassroots work, often with marginalized groups, volunteered and worked with various grassroots organizations for nearly six years, till late 2020 when she landed  at Femme International, a sexual, reproductive health and rights NGO based in Kilimanjaro.

She has been part and founding member of the Tanzania Menstrual Health and Hygiene Coalition group, a group that engages and advocates nationally for the rights of people who menstruate.

Ghiwa Nassereddine is a Lebanese public health professional working in the Monitoring and Evaluation sector. She earned her Master's degree in Public Health from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2021, and has worked on a variety of projects and initiatives in multiple local and international NGOs that focused on women's health, child protection, and disaster management.

Vera Markova is a European Climate Pact Ambassador & Forbes Bulgaria & Bournemouth University “30 under 30” for 2020. She is, also, a Lecturer, TedX Speaker & Waste Reduction Consultant. She is a passionate climate & menstruation activist who believes that lots of small actions lead to big results. Her interest in menstrual hygiene, period poverty and sustainable period products has been ongoing in the last 7 years. So much so that she started writing a book on menstrual hygiene management and disposable period products' financial and environmental impacts. She founded Green Revolucia, the first online zero-waste shop in Bulgaria.

After developing and proving the Fierce Gentleness™ system, which ends menstrual pain and PMS for those suffering from undiagnosed and diagnosed imbalance, she is on a mission to amplify the message of our Menstrual Magic. Just because 80% of menstruators suffer from menstrual pain and/or PMS does not mean that imbalance is normal or that balance is not possible. There is a solution and the more of us who take it on, the sooner we as menstruators thrive and grow in our unique power and purpose.