Days For Girls Update

A little over a year ago I posted here about the non-profit grassroots project called Days For Girls.  I had just started up Italy’s first (and only) team and was really excited and full of ideas of how I could build up a community of women who would be willing to help me help girls around the world manage their monthly menstrual cycles with ease and dignity.

I’ll be honest, at the beginning it felt slightly awkward talking so openly about periods, pads and menstrual flow with complete strangers.  But I’m happy to say that I am now 100% comfortable talking about every detail of women’s reproductive systems with everyone from the local baker to my car mechanic.

For those of you who have never heard of Days For Girls I’ll quickly re-cap what the project is all about.

Days For Girls was started by Celeste Mergens in 2008 after working in a Kenyan orphanage and noticing that a lot of the girls weren’t educated about their menstrual cycles nor equipped to deal with it.

Soon thereafter Celeste started up Days For Girls which is an incredible and supportive network of volunteers around the world who make and put together re-usable menstruation kits that are then delivered to girls in need in over 60 countries around the world (over 60,000 kits have already been delivered).

These kits last for approximately three years and have literally changed the lives of girls and women who before had to miss school or work due to their periods.  This in turn has helped lower school drop-out rates in many areas as well as less loss income for days missed at work.  So much good!

This project has come to mean so much to me over the last year.  I’ve introduced Days For Girls at many local clubs and events and have always had so much enthusiasm from everyone I’ve met.  Even the sweet and hilarious 85 year old man who kept insisting that they would make perfect pencil holders before realising their real use.

One of the most common reactions I see from people as I explain the project is the feeling of shock when they realise that they had never actually thought about this problem before.  We think of helping people with food, water, clothing and shelter but rarely does it come to mind to help girls deal with monthly menstruation and educate them about women’s health and the female reproductive system. To hear more about our Indian kit delivery and see photos click to read on…

After a year of sewing mornings with my friends, workshops with local women’s groups and the help of sewing groups in Belgium and Norway I had enough kits to make my first delivery.

From the very beginning I knew I wanted to make a kit delivery to India.  I had read many articles regarding the serious problems girls face in regards to menstruating as well as the taboos surrounding menstruation in Indian culture. It’s not rare in India that girls are taught that menstruating is impure and dirty.  Some are not allowed to enter kitchens, temples or even socialise during “that time of the month”.  Girls are left feeling isolated and confused about a natural part of being women.  Interesting articles regarding this problem in India are found here, here, here and here.

Last spring I contacted a friend in India who helped find The Delhi Council for Child Welfare which runs 17 centres in and around Delhi.  The DCCW provides programs and services to under-privileged families in the areas of medical services, vocational training and rehabilitation of physically and mentally challenged children .  These services reach over 2500 children daily (mostly girls).

From the very beginning the DCCW was very enthusiastic about receiving the kits and a date was made immediately for the delivery. My husband, three children and I all went to India and made the kit delivery as a family.  It was the highlight of our trip to India. 

Our visit to the centre was on December 22nd.  Delhi was experiencing the coldest weather in decades and it was 2 degrees outside (and inside due to the fact there are no heating systems in India).  It was freezing cold!  Luckily the centre helps keep all the kids warm with donated wool sweaters, hats and scarves.

The girls who received the kits are all attending the centre’s vocational training programs.  The programs that are offered range from Cutting and Tailoring, Embroidery, Painting and Beauty Culture.

The director of DCCW Dr. Sandhya Bhalla and I presenting and demonstrating the Days for Girls kits.  On top of discussing the kits Dr. Bhalla had an open and very informative discussion with the girls about the female reproductive system.  I was so impressed at how candidly and comfortably Dr. Bhalla spoke with the girls about the nitty-gritty details of menstruating, how the female body works and even the importance of safe sex.

My three kids helped hand out all of the kits and my 10 year old son was definitely the star.  The girls loved him! I’m so grateful that he got to be involved and learn how important it is to support women’s causes such as this. I’m pretty sure he’s one of the most informed 10 year old boys when it comes to menstruation (check out his enthusiastic expression in the photo below!).Passing along the patterns and instructions for making the kit components.  I have already heard back that the centre has started producing the kits themselves. As you can see here the girls were very happy with their kits.  After this photo was taken some of them did a traditional Indian dance for us and even pulled my daughter and I up to join in (I was terrible!).

Many thanks to Dr. Bhalla, Kanchan, Minakshi and Sanjay for helping organise our visit to the DCCW. Also many thanks to the Norwegian and Belgian sewing groups as well as all my local friends who help me out so much.

Now to get busy sewing and start organising our next delivery!

Tags: days for girls, grassroots, India, menstruation, non profit, project, travel