Meet Geena Dunne, Founder of The Cova Project
Tell us a little bit about yourself and the incredible businesses you founded.
My name is Geena Dunne. I'm the founder of The Cova Project and co-founder of Women Who Innovate. My passion is building things that the world needs. I had an unconventional path through my education, I became unwell in high school and didn't finish my final year, so I never went to university. That forced me to be entrepreneurial and autodidactic, which put me on a more creative trajectory and forced me to build things where there were gaps in the market and genuine need.
I founded Australian charity, The Cova Project in 2018 after working in Namibia and seeing period poverty firsthand. I realised it was a solvable problem that needed attention. Then in 2023, I co-founded Women Who Innovate with Georgie Trickett and Michelle Reeves as a space to amplify incredible women innovating across business, impact, tech, fashion, culture, and sports.
What sparked the idea, and how has your mission evolved?
I was working in Namibia when I witnessed period poverty for the first time at a rural medical clinic. I didn't just see a lack of access to period products, I saw women engaging in transactional sex to get pads. That immediately made me think: if employed women had to go to such lengths, what were schoolgirls doing to get by?
The Cova Project started in 2018, launching in Liberia and Malawi. We distributed menstrual cups because they are reusable for up to 10 years so if you give a girl a cup, it will get her through high school. Soon after we launched, the call for menstrual cups came from every corner of the world. It became blatantly clear that period poverty is a global issue, not just one that affects certain populations.
We've distributed 38,000 cups, 46,000 by the end of 2026, across 6 countries. We currently operate in Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, and Australia. For us, the major shift has been recognising how massive the need is. We have a 160-organisation waitlist for menstrual cups. We launched Cova Affiliate in 2024, an online platform to open source our training materials and project blueprints, to help grassroots organisations implement their own programs.
What have been some highlights?
The real highlight has been finding exceptional local leaders. Women who are voices of equality, fairness, and justice, advocating endlessly for girls. Providing them full-time employment and career trajectories they'd never expected for themselves has been really special.
One of the other highlights that has always stuck with me was in Ghana when a young grandmother asked if she could leave her menstrual cup in her will for her granddaughter. If that doesn’t showcase the value, I don’t know what does.
How have Women Who Innovate inspired you?
We started Women Who Innovate after spending time in the US and noticing how incredible they were at networking events for women. They created a community with a transactional element to fast-track progress: an “I'll help you with this, if you help me with this” mentality. It elevated women because there was real focus on helping each other achieve your goals. Australia silos industries and doesn't have those conversations that progress people quickly. We wanted to create environments where ambitious women could have those conversations previously reserved for men's clubs and could build real community.
We've partnered with Google, Coinbase, Blackbird, Impact.com, Tiktok, Bentley's and other amazing companies. Women leave our events with meaningful new connections, a like-minded support system and collaboration opportunities. There's no limit to the number of women who inspire me so it’s a pretty simple premise, put them in a room together and you create magic.
What changes would you like to see in technology, impact, and business?
I love when impact is at the centre of everything. Whether you’re in business or tech, hopefully you're building something to fill a need and then when it’s successful, leveraging that success to give back. Progressing everyone forward.
There's exciting potential in AI for a more equal world. But we have to be careful who stewards it. The scary part is homogenous groups making decisions instead of diverse teams bringing different perspectives to the table.
I'd like to see more diversity in decision-making, more locally led solutions, and impact at the core of everything. We have one planet to share and one life to do good. Let’s aim for high EQ leadership, more collaboration and better representation.
The theme for International Women’s Day this year is 'Give to Gain'. How can people give, get involved, and get inspired?
I think one of the cool things about the IWD theme being ‘Give to Gain’ is that it’s true. You really do have to give to gain in life. There's a quote, ‘everybody wants a village, but no one wants to be a villager’. Well, I think the best way to find purpose and community in life is to be somebody who is a villager. Who gives happily and freely to those around them and creates community for themselves and others. And part of that is finding charitable organisations that you connect with and supporting them.
So my big ask this International Women's Day is to donate to The Cova Project. You can donate a menstrual cup for $7 and they last 10 years. One cup, $7, 10 years, a lifetime of opportunity for a girl. It's a kind of unbeatable proposition.
And to the amazing men out there who are looking for ways to get involved this International Women's Day, The Cova Project is having a ‘Girl Dad’ Gala on the 26th March sponsored by Archie Rose. We're looking for dads to come along and get involved in our work. There's no better way to showcase the amazing dad that you are than to stand up for gender equality and girls everywhere. Plus, there’ll be Archie Rose cocktails and a whisky tasting… So come along, bring your daughters, bring your friends, bring your family, everyone is welcome!
Tickets are available now: https://events.humanitix.com/girldadgala