Meet Vital Voices Global Fellowship – VV Venture Fellow Juliana Villegas

The Vital Voices Global Fellowship’s VV Venture Program and FedEx are proud to spotlight a few exceptional fellows. 

We’ll meet the third fellow in our three-part series this week. Their inspiring stories, notable achievements, and active engagement throughout the Fellowship truly embody the spirit of innovation and leadership.

Juliana Villegas is the founder of Somos Martina, a socially driven enterprise dedicated to transforming women's health and achieving menstrual equity in Colombia and LATAM, with aspirations to expand into the USA. Somos Martina offers sustainable, high-quality underwear for periods, incontinence, and postpartum, designed to replace traditional, environmentally harmful, single-use products. With a background in Cultural Studies and a Masters in Global Fashion Management, she combines her expertise in fashion and business to address the significant gap in access to dignified hygiene products. 

Juliana has received numerous accolades for her remarkable work, including being featured at Bogotá Fashion Week (BFW) for three consecutive years: 2023, 2024, and 2025. Her innovative designs and commitment to sustainability have truly set her apart as she was recognized at the Women Economic Forum as the 2023 Iconic Company. Furthermore, she was honored with the Mujeres Cambiando la Moda award from Banco de Bogotá, recognizing her as a transformative force in the fashion industry with the support of the bank. 

The inspiration behind Somos Martina came from witnessing the silent struggles of countless women who miss school or work due to a lack of access to menstrual products. Somos Martina’s unique approach involves direct community engagement, working closely with girls and women to sew their own reusable pads. This fosters a model that can be passed down through generations to combat menstrual poverty. Somos Martina supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. They are committed to achieving menstrual equity, ensuring menstrual health is recognized as a fundamental right, not a privilege. Somos Martina’s long-term vision is to expand their impact across different markets, particularly in vulnerable communities, leveraging the power of collaboration to drive meaningful social change.

Juliana decided to participate in the Vital Voices Global Fellowship program as a VV Venture Fellow to gain valuable insights and skills that would help her scale Somos Martina's impact and reach. The program offers a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and mentors who share a passion for social change. Through this experience, she hopes to refine her business strategies and expand its network, enhancing the business’ ability to drive positive social and environmental impact alongside new allies.

Through the knowledge and skills acquired as a VV Venture Fellow, Juliana plans to deepen Somos Martina's impact in her community by expanding their workshops. Somos Martina, has already reached 3,050 girls and women across six territories in Colombia, as well as internationally in Lebanon. This impact has been made possible through workshops on reusable towel making, along with sexual and menstrual education sessions.

Juliana also aims for Somos Martina to: 

  • Scale Workshops: Juliana plans to expand Somos Martina’s workshops to additional communities within Colombia and internationally. By leveraging the network and resources gained through the Fellowship, Juliana aims to double Somos Martina’s reach in the coming year, working with more women and girls to develop essential skills and knowledge.
  • Community Engagement: Utilizing the leadership and community engagement strategies learned during the Fellowship, Juliana will strengthen Somos Martina’s partnerships with local organizations and community leaders. This will ensure that the business’ initiatives are culturally sensitive and effectively meet the unique needs of each community.
  • Sustainable Practices: The Vital Voices Global Fellowship emphasized the importance of sustainability, and Juliana will incorporate these principles into Somos Martina by sourcing new certifications, allies, and promoting local economies.
  • Educational Expansion: Juliana plans to broaden the educational scope of Somos Martina’s workshops to include comprehensive health education, focusing on both physical and mental well-being. This holistic approach aims to empower women and girls to make informed decisions about their health and futures.
  • Monitoring and Evaluation: Implementing robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, as learned in the Vital Voices Global Fellowship, will allow Juliana to measure the impact of her business’ initiatives effectively. This data-driven approach will enable her business to refine their programs and ensure that they are making a tangible difference in participants’ lives.
     

Through these actions, Juliana aims to create a lasting positive impact on the communities her business serves, fostering menstrual equity and education for women and girls.

More stories about the Vital Voices fellows

Durga Das

In part 1 of our series on Vital Voices fellows, we meet Durga Das, an accomplished entrepreneur and former professional athlete, with a background in cricket and golf. She is the founder of Aeronero, a company focused on innovative air water generation (AWG) technology to address the global water crisis.

Durga's Story

Pauline Otila

In part 2 of our series on Vital Voices fellows, we meet Pauline Otila, a social entrepreneur and founder of Apiculture Venture Limited. Her company leads Kenya’s honey value chain, revolutionizes beekeeping, and empowers women in economically marginalized communities by creating markets for beehive products such as honey, beeswax, and royal jelly.

Pauline's Story