OUR BIRTHDAY CAKE
Heart melt! 
Some of our chapters and teams celebrated our birthday with us last week — with custom cakes! We're thankful for 11 years of love, laughter, and the DfG family.
Some of our chapters and teams celebrated our birthday with us last week — with custom cakes! We're thankful for 11 years of love, laughter, and the DfG family.
ICPD
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the ground breaking International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD@25), which took place in Cairo in 1994. At that conference, 179 Governments adopted a programme of Action, recognizing that reproductive health, women's empowerment and gender equality are the pathway to sustainable development.
Today, the world is aiming to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and universal sexual and reproductive health is central to much of this agenda- ending poverty, security good health and well-being, realizing gender equality and achieving sustainable communities, among many other goals. Urgent and sustained efforts to realize reproductive health and rights are crucial.
In Kenya, 6 out of 10 girls have never heard about menstruation until their first period. And 65 percent of menstruating girls and women in the nation cannot sustainably access sanitary pads.
PERIOD POVERTY
I remember what it was like to run out of money prior to payday. What if your family has no funds to buy menstrual supplies and you've got your period . . . and it's a school day? Should pads/tampons be available in 4J secondary schools free of charge, so girls can avoid missing school because of their family's income?
November 20th, the Eugene 4J School Board said yes! I love that this issue is being brought into the open. Would this ever have been discussed at a public school board session some years back? In the November 30 issue of the Register-Guard, there's a GREAT article about this accomplishment.
Some districts are realizing that this is an important equity issue and having those supplies available is important for equal access to education. In a district elsewhere, the middle schoolers effectively made their point by some creative baking!
Here's a brief article about period poverty.
Here's a brief article about period poverty.
CHILD BRIDES IN INDIA
They actually carry pads and tampons in their backpacks in case one of their female friends has an emergency need. Maybe there is hope for this world!
ONLINE REQUEST FOR DONATIONS
If you've made a donation to our Days for Girls Chapter, thank you SO much. Everything we do is only possible because of the generosity of supporters. The best way for us to receive 100% of your donation, is for you to write a check made out to "Days for Girls" and indicate on the memo line that it's for the Eugene Chapter. You can then give it to me or send it to Days for Girls International, PO Box 2622, Mount Vernon, WA 97273. Either way, you'll receive a receipt from headquarters and our chapter will get 100% of the funds.
I've been told by some previous donors that they sometimes get email solicitations from our headquarters, with a donate button--any donations you make that way do not end up with our chapter. We won't even know about them.
If you're interested in making a year-end (or any time of year) or Giving Tuesday donation to our chapter, I have some optional check processing forms that have our information already filled out. I can send one to you as an email attachment, or hand you one at a workday. Just let me know!
KENYA'S NEXT
An old friend of mine, Diana, is flying into Nairobi next month, and has offered to take supplies to our friend Christine Khamasi (I posted a great article about Christine previously) there.
Diana's group is raising money to build a fantastic state-of-the-art soccer field by one of the poorest Nairobi slums. If you'd like to help with funds for that, there's information here. It looks like they need (tax deductible) donations by December 15.
At this point, that's the only "outgoing" happening before our January 4th workday, so unless something urgent comes up, we will NOT be meeting in December. Enjoy the holidays--and let me know if you need some homework!
Remember this? It started as a challenge for teams and chapters to come up with 11,000 kits for refugees and internally displaced in each of 3 countries, to celebrate Days for Girls' 11th birthday. DFG was able to add a 4th country, and partner with World Vision which helped with transport. Our incredible volunteers worldwide met the challenge and came up with life-changing kits for 46,221 women and girls in South Sudan, Somalia, Lebanon and Afghanistan. And our chapter's contribution was 527 kits!!
Here's the report from headquarters:
Diana's group is raising money to build a fantastic state-of-the-art soccer field by one of the poorest Nairobi slums. If you'd like to help with funds for that, there's information here. It looks like they need (tax deductible) donations by December 15.
At this point, that's the only "outgoing" happening before our January 4th workday, so unless something urgent comes up, we will NOT be meeting in December. Enjoy the holidays--and let me know if you need some homework!
ANOTHER AWARD FOR CELESTE
Congratulations to Days for Girls Founder and CEO Celeste Mergens for receiving a global hero award!
THE DFG REFUGEE PROJECT
Remember this? It started as a challenge for teams and chapters to come up with 11,000 kits for refugees and internally displaced in each of 3 countries, to celebrate Days for Girls' 11th birthday. DFG was able to add a 4th country, and partner with World Vision which helped with transport. Our incredible volunteers worldwide met the challenge and came up with life-changing kits for 46,221 women and girls in South Sudan, Somalia, Lebanon and Afghanistan. And our chapter's contribution was 527 kits!!
Here's the report from headquarters:
November 12:
Our Refugee Project is in full swing! In partnership with World Vision, we will be reaching refugee and internally displaced women and girls in Lebanon, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Somalia with DfG Kits and vital menstrual health education!
Our International Chapters and Teams throughout the world have been hard at work making this project a reality!
Days for Girls Australia is the first to the finish line, contributing a massive 12,543 DfG Kits to the project! A big shout out to the Australia and UK volunteers, Chapters and Teams who contributed and a special shout out to the Ferntree Gully Victoria Chapter who served as the collection point!
November 15:
Days for Girls Canada has delivered their DfG Kits! Their incredible contribution of 4082 Kits takes our total to 16,625 ... and we aren’t done yet!!!
Thank you to all the Canada volunteers, Chapters and Teams for this collective effort and special thanks to the Springfield MB, Ancaster ON, and Edmonton AB Teams who went the extra mile to serve as collection points.
November 17:
Days for Girls USA has completed its first shipment for the refugee project! 3,600 DfG Kits are on their way to Lebanon where they will be combined with Kits made and purchased from local DfG enterprises.
Then, the Kits will be distributed by DfG Lebanon local leaders to refugee and internally displaced women and girls! That takes our grand total to 20,225 DfG Kits and counting!!
November 20:
Today, Days for Girls USA dropped off the last delivery of DfG Kits to our Refugee Project partner, World Vision, and these Kits will soon be on their way to refugee and internally displaced women and girls in Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Somalia.
USA Chapters and Teams have contributed a total of 29,546 DfG Kits! Well done to all the USA, UK, and Oman volunteers, Chapters and Teams who contributed to this monumental effort!
A special shout out to our USA collection points. Cedar Rapids Chapter, Stanwood-Camano Island Chapter, Farmington Livonia Team, St Petersburg FL Chapter, Pittsburgh PA Chapter and the DfG USA Headquarters.
The Grand Finale!
When we began the Refugee Project, DfG Chapters and Teams stepped up with the goal of collectively contributing 33,000 DfG Kits to meet the menstrual health needs of refugee and IDP women and girls. We’re incredibly excited to share that not only have we reached our goal, but exceeded it.
Today, 46,221 DfG Kits are on their way to refugee and IDP women and girls to be distributed along with vital menstrual health education. That’s the equivalent of:
- Former NFL stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington DC.
- More than a sold out crowd at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Canada.
- 4,000 more people than the capacity of The Gabba in Brisbane, Australia.
Our Chapters and Teams have come together to show a stadium full of refugee women and girls that THEY MATTER! The women that we will reach with DfG Kits and education will be empowered to shatter the stigma around menstruation and chase their dreams now that that menstruation won’t hold them back.
No comments:
Post a Comment