Matching funds for donations!

Two more amazing things were just announced, which benefit Days for Girls and in turn girls around the world.

Here is the announcement from Days for Girls founder Celeste Mergens:

Mother's Day is May 10th, and this year, we are pulling out all the stops.

Cause to celebrate #1:  Days for Girls has recently received a generous donation from doTERRA Essential Oils!  DfG is thrilled about this new partnership because of all the support it will bring for your incredible efforts, AND because of Cause to Celebrate #2. . . .

Cause to celebrate #2:  Days for Girls has been selected as an organization under The Next Ten, an initiative hosted by the Huffington Post to celebrate incredible causes that will shape the world in the next decade.  You are a part of this global movement for dignity.  You are the reason that, ten years from now, every woman and girl on the planet will have the health and dignity she deserves.

There are so many reasons to celebrate all your success, which is why Days for Girls is offering you the chance to magnify your impact even further in the world today.

Between now and Mother's Day, your contribution to Days for Girls through The Next Ten will be matched 2:1, thanks to doTERRA.  From Mother's Day through the end of May, your contribution will be matched 1:1, up to $100,000.

You can celebrate mothers and daughters across the globe by making your contribution today.

With Gratitude,
 
     Days for Girls International


If you've been considering making a monetary donation to Days for Girls, this would be a fantastic time to do it.  Maybe donate to honor your mother or your daughter?  Donate before Mother's Day (only 3 days, so hurry!) and our Eugene team receives that money, while headquarters receives twice that amount.  Donate from Mother's Day to the end of May, and we get that amount and headquarters receives a 1:1 matching donation.

When you go to Crowdrise, just scroll to our Eugene team link--a photo of some of our colorful drawstring bags and shields, with the words "Eugene, Oregon" under it.  

Click on that, and THEN "Donate to this fundraiser" (green box) to have your contribution benefit our team.  When you donate, you'll immediately get a receipt for tax purposes. 

I'm often asked what headquarters does with funds it receives.  Here's an answer I've pulled from a notice Celeste sent out to teams and chapters:

All funds will go to spreading the story of DFG.
These funds will provide us with the necessary resources needed to support our current and ever growing numbers of team and chapters, and train even more Ambassadors for Women’s health, building global enterprises to create local supply and leadership so they can provide the extremely important health training to the girls. And create resources to help chapters and teams.
This vital funding will also be used to educate governments, humanitarian organizations and corporate sponsors about the desperate need of girls and women everywhere and the immediate increase in health, hope and dignity DFG hygiene kits provide. All helping to reach more girls, women and communities more effectively so we can reach them all by 2022.

Empowerment

In cooperation with their longstanding partner, Crowdrise, The Huffington Post is celebrating its 10 year anniversary by focusing on the promise of the next 10 years ahead. They're highlighting causes that are near and dear to their ethos -- causes where they believe meaningful strides can be made in the coming decade -- and empowering readers to act and take part.  Read more . . . .

Days for Girls has been chosen as one of those causes.  DFG Founder, Celeste Mergens, wrote this article for yesterday's Huffington Post blog.

By Celeste Mergens
Celeste is the Founder and Executive Director of Days for Girls International. Since 2008, Days for Girls has restored education, health, and dignity to over 100,000 women and girls in 83 nations. Days for Girls is a two-time Girl Effect Champion, is a Top-Rated Nonprofit on Great Nonprofits, and was featured this year at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The world is a complex place. Today it's hard enough to find the time to answer all our emails, let alone think about how to save the world. Fortunately, tackling the bigger questions doesn't have to be difficult.

Since 2008, Days for Girls has worked to break the cycle of poverty by starting with the basics: we make washable hygiene kits. If hygiene kits don't initially seem like The Big Idea, don't worry, they didn't at first to us either. Days for Girls was born almost by accident, in an orphanage outside Nairobi, Kenya. In the wake of the 2008 post-election violence, we suddenly found ourselves with too many children and too few beds. I went to sleep one night like many parents of the world, thinking about how to help hungry children. To my surprise, the question that came to mind in the middle of that night wasn't about food, or water, or housing. It was, "What are the girls doing for feminine hygiene?"

When I ran to the computer to ask the Assistant Director of the orphanage, he responded immediately: "Nothing. They wait in their rooms." We quickly realized that girls were sitting on cardboard, often going without food and water for days every month. We knew something had to be done.

This was the beginning of Days for Girls. In the six years since then, Days for Girls has grown to a vibrant, passionate global network of over 370 volunteer Chapters and Teams. That network is working hard to break the cycles of poverty that keep millions of women and girls from achieving their dreams, through providing washable feminine hygiene kits. Here's how Days for Girls kits make a difference:

1.) Pads keep girls in school. According to UNESCO, 5 out of 10 girls in Kenya lack access to pads. When girls miss up to a week of school every month, not having access to pads can have a big impact on education. 

2.) Pads help women go to work. 56% of women in Sindh, Pakistan said that it was difficult to work in the fields during menstruation. When women make up between 36% and 60% of the agricultural work force, ensuring that women have the resources they need not only helps them, but also makes communities and nations stronger. 

3.) Pads bring girls out of isolation. Lack of access to pads leaves girls isolated. In Nepal, 28% of girls reported sleeping apart from their families during menstruation. In Gujarat, India, 91% of girls reported staying away from flowing water during menstruation. Eunice from Uganda summarized best how Days for Girls kits combat this. She explained, "If I was menstruating I [would] just hide. Now I will be free...because I don't have to worry about leaking. I can just stay with people." 

4.) Pads help women no longer feel ashamed. 90% of girls in rural Ghana reported feeling ashamed during their periods. Days for Girls reminds girls that menstruation is natural, and that we have this process to thank for the existence of every human being on earth! 

5.) Pads give girls the confidence to succeed. Noreen from Kenya said it best. "When we have those kits, we can do something great in this world. Without education we have nowhere to go, and we can achieve our goals now." Kits remind girls that they are beautiful, important, and worthy of health and dignity.

6.) Washable pads don't create additional waste. Disposable pads can create waste, especially in places without good sanitation facilities. Days for Girls kits are washable with little water, dry easily, and last for up to three years. This is good for girls, and for the earth. 

7.) Washable pads help women in remote areas. When it's difficult for women to get to a store to buy pads, having something that lasts longer helps them. Days for Girls kits help women save time and resources.

8.) Washable pads are cost-effective. Even if a month's supply of pads costs $1, women will need to spend $36 for three years. Days for Girls kits cost $10, providing a $26 savings. 

9.) Washable pads provide women and girls the solution they ask for. The Days for Girls kit went through 27 different iterations before we felt we'd created a product that truly matched what women and girls wanted. This is their design. Today, we are also teaching them to make kits themselves, and to create enterprises, and to serve as Ambassadors of Women's Health in their communities. 

Through honoring their wisdom, through listening, and through partnership, Days for Girls is confident that together, we can reach Every girl. Everywhere. Period. By 2022. There are a lot of things in this world that are difficult to change, but this isn't one of them. You too can lift up millions of girls and women who have been waiting to live their lives unbound. You too can join the movement today.