Miracles happen once a month in Emu Plains, as an enthusiastic little group of locals come together to help make life easier for underprivileged girls by producing and assembling Days for Girls reusable menstrual hygiene kits.
Days for Girls International is established in 70 countries with the aim to provide clean and reliable menstrual hygiene solutions that enable young girls to attend school every day of every month and thus receive the education that they deserve which is instrumental in breaking the poverty cycle.
In some countries, poor girls have no option but to use dirty rags, newspaper, hemp even stones or leather which can cause infection and infertility. Their kits enable young girls and women to have clean, safe and more hygienic items to manage their cycle, with dignity and confidence. The kits are hand made by volunteers and field tests show they can last three years which is enough time for most of their recipients to finish school.
Their kits are packed in a cotton drawstring carry bag with two zip lock bags, a small bar of soap, one washer, two pairs of panties, two cotton washable but also waterproof shields and eight washable flannelette liners, that used as instructed are leak proof and shame proof.
The Emu Plains chapter, which started in July 2014 has gone from strength to strength and are lucky to have been generously given the use of a guide hall by the Nepean Valley Trefoil Guild. Volunteers of all ages (7 – 83 years) come together to cut, pin, sew and assemble kits as well as chat, laugh and enjoy lunch together on the third Sunday of each month. Some of their especially keen volunteers also take extra work home with them between “Sew Days”. Since 2014, they have sent many kits to girls in remote areas of the Northern Territory, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, The Philippines, PNG, Syria and India.
2,000 kits have also just been distributed to the Rohinga Refugee Camp in Bangladesh.
If you can sew or even if you can’t, they invite you to come along for a fun day doing something very worthwhile.
Help them to prevent: Days of isolation, Days of shame, Days of missing school, Days of lost income and Days lost due to lack of access to feminine hygiene products. Donations are gratefully accepted.
Days for Girls Emu Plains meet the third Sunday of each month at Nepean Girl Guide Hall, 3 Nepean Street in Emu Plains. For more information, visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/daysforgirlsemuplains.
Emu Plains volunteers at Panthers | Image Supplied