It just keeps getting better!

Every month brings something new--first-time volunteers, generous donations, surprise emails, new requests, and exciting distributions.    This is an amazing group!
Here's an overview of some of what keeps me smiling:

Zimbabwe

In the March 25th post, you can see the kits that we sent to Zimbabwe being assembled.  The kits arrived safely, and I have a note and photos to share from Patience, the teacher who distributed them.  Patience will be in Eugene later this year, and I hope we are able to meet her.

From Patience:

hello maggie and susan.  girls were very grateful to receive those kits.  they thanked you so much.  like I mentioned earlier we have 150 kits we will need more for all the girl orphans we have.  then we have 10 lady teachers who requested to be considered to have those kits. since teachers are paid very low, they say during their time of month they are also facing difficulties.  once again thank you.

love 

patience

Here are photos of the orphaned girls who received the kits:

Uganda

We also had a small part in a distribution in Uganda in February.  Melissa made all of the bags, liners and shields before asking us for help in affixing the snaps to the shields, which she did herself after I showed her how to use the press.  Mary Jo and I made 30 liners for postpartum kits, but Melissa did all the rest, in addition to taking and distributing the kits at Favour Primary School at Community Child Development Orphanage in Buyobo, Sironko District, Uganda.  This is a very tiny village near Mbale, Uganda.

Melissa shared dozens of great photos. They're on my computer, and I'd be happy to show you at one of our workdays (just ask!), but for today, here is a sampling.

Notice the curious boys peeking through the window.

Generosity

Since starting our Eugene Days for Girls team, I've been floored by the generosity of so many.  Every so often I'll open my email to a wonderful surprise.  A few months ago, it was an email from a local woman who had been fundraising for DFG through her online business, Boutique Academia.  She had decided to donate $5 from each sale of a particular pendant to Days for Girls.  Thank you, Maile, for that very helpful donation!  This contact also led to a DFG workday at her church.  

In the past year, there have been four gatherings of different faith groups whose  members spent a morning, afternoon or evening working on kit components.  Many of the women who came to press, cut and sew also brought with them abundant donations of underwear, washcloths and Ziploc freezer bags!

After the most recent of these sessions, my surprise email was from

Elyse, a participant who would been traveling soon to Ghana and offered to transport kits.  I contacted DFG Ghana, and put Elyse in touch with Bernice there, who was delighted with the offer.  Our team was able to assemble 34 kits for Elyse to take with her.

(At least the washcloths are in focus!)

Elyse filled her rolling luggage with our kits

Elyse's classmates traveling with her also had some available weight allowance, so she contacted another DFG team and they added many more kits.

My next surprise email came a few weeks ago, from Michelle in Hawaii.  She wrote:

I teach 6th grade here in Hawaii.  We have no chapter in our state.  Four students at my school did their own fundraiser (bake sale) outside of school to raise money for Days for Girls.  Can they order underwear for the kits online and have it mailed directly to you?

I remember bake sales (brownies come to mind) from when I was in middle and high school, but I suspect that these girls are better bakers than my classmates and I were, because last week the mailman left a big box on my porch.

120 pairs of size 12 panties!  I was thrilled to receive such a huge donation!

The next day, I got a note from the girls, with a slip showing that two packages had been sent.  And they enclosed a $5.00 bill, because they had some money left over from their bake sale!

More anticipation . . . one more day, and another package arrived.  This time it was ten 9-packs of size 10s.

That's 210 pairs of underwear!  Absolutely amazing!  They will be improving the lives of 105 very appreciative girls, helping them to stay in school. 

9-packs of size 10s on the left, 12-packs of size 12s on the right.  Plus $5.00!

One of the girls had moved before this photo was taken, but here are three of these four generous young volunteers in Hawaii.  

Thank you, girls, for your time, thoughtfulness and generosity!

Join us in May . . . and after

Our next workdays are May 17, June 14, July 19, and August 16.  We meet at Our Sewing Room at 5th and Main in Springfield, 10 am to 5 pm.  If you have a serger or sewing machine that you'd like to use, please bring that.  Pins, sharp scissors and a seam ripper are also useful.

PBS on Nepal needs

While we continue to work on our kit requests for the future, we'll also be keeping the Nepal earthquake victims in mind, and helping as we can.  This PBS article lists washable feminine hygiene products as one of the top 5 needs for Nepal right now.  Can you spot a DFG kit in one of the photos?