In 2017, I became an ambassador for Days For Girls, a non- profit started by a woman in Ca. who visited Africa and learned that most menstruating girls miss school when they have their periods and many drop-out. Period products are unaffordable, hard to get in rural communities and there is stigma attached with menstruation.
As an ambassador, my goal was to educate and give access to period kits that contain washable product , cost about $10 to make and last about 3 years.
My childhood friend, Darcy, and I had sponsored girls through Compassion International, another NGO that helps children go to school by providing uniforms and supplies. We ventured together to Togo and Ghana, to meet the girls we were sponsoring. We brought along with us (50) period kits made by a DFG group in NC.
We first went to the village in Togo, where we met our girls, their families and met the village elders to ask if we could do an education session and gift the girls and women in the community with the kits. The response was so overwhelmingly well received, we did the education the very next day to teens and nursing mothers.
Darcy and I were so thrilled at the response, we researched a DFG kit making headquarters in Ghana and traveled there to purchase another (50) kits to do another education at a church after Sunday services. The whole community stayed, men and boys, elders and girls, to see these two outsiders, white women from the USA, give a talk and share the kits. What came out of our trip was we met with Compassion International in Accra, Ghana, and shared the DFG educational experiences in the villages. We connected the leaders of the two NGO’s and planted the seed that they might join forces to create sewing groups in these communities. This would not only provide the menstrual kits it would potentially provide income to the women, who would be trained to make the kits. We went back to Togo and bought sewing machines and sergers for the village there to start them off. I am happy to report there are now (8) sewing centers making the DFG kits in Togo.
I am so pleased that my dream of starting a kit making group has come to fruition here at MUUF. We meet here the 4th Monday of each month. We have had 3 sessions with 10-12 participants. Sarah Zadorozyj, who I met at the Union DFG group, generously shares her sewing machines and knowledge to help our group learn the many steps that go into making the kits. We work with the other NJ based groups to put together (50) kits to send to DFG to distribute where needed and also have sent kits to women’s shelter in Nj and NY.
We are happy to receive financial donations to keep up our work as well as fabric, cotton and flannel.