Humanitarian Impact Update: Spring 2022
At Days for Girls, we’re passionate about bringing a gender-inclusive lens to humanitarian efforts around the world.
When disaster strikes, emergency responses often under-fund or exclude menstrual health care – leaving displaced women and girls unable to meet basic needs. We are committed to closing this gap on a global scale, by providing vital period products and education to menstruating refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs).
In doing so, we are also shattering period stigma, building key alliances and ensuring that menstrual health is included in partner programming; allowing us to create longer-lasting, sustainable impact in the menstrual health space.
Humanitarian aid that prioritizes people with periods has long been a pillar of our work. Together, our Global Country Offices, Enterprises and Chapters & Teams have reached more than 200,000 displaced women and girls to-date – with ongoing efforts in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Iraq, Chad, Somalia, Lebanon, Jordan, Burundi and more (in collaboration with a diverse partner roster of local and international organizations).
Last year alone, we reached more than 89,000 refugees and IDPs worldwide!
That includes 2,250 women and girls reeling from the eruption of Volcano Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo; 16,000 people affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti; 21,000 refugees, IDPs and returnees escaping overlapping conflicts in Chad; and tens of thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan.
Now, in the face of yet another devastating crisis, our global network is stepping up to serve women and girls impacted by the war in Ukraine.
The Ukraine Refugee Crisis
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine that shocked the world – and created the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since WWII.
Nearly 3.4 million people have fled the country since, with many more escaping every day. It’s a tragedy that we’ve seen unfold countless times across the globe: innocent civilians forced to leave everything behind in the face of war, conflict and natural disasters.
Together with our partners at Global Empowerment Mission and Direct Relief, we’re rallying to deliver menstrual product options to women and girls affected by the ongoing crisis. Our goal is to distribute 6,000 Hybrid Kits (a customized DfG Kit that includes both washable and disposable options), along with additional disposable products, to people displaced by the conflict.
Dignity In Choice
In the face of acute crisis, it is especially critical that we provide women and girls with the dignity in choice.
Period product preference is a highly personal exercise in autonomy; at a time when people have limited control over their circumstances, being able to choose how they manage menstruation makes a meaningful difference. That’s why we decided to offer Hybrid Kits – along with disposables, which offer the greatest flexibility amidst rapidly-changing living conditions.
The response from Chapters, Teams, Clubs and volunteers has been incredible so far! Our U.S. collection points have been flooded from coast to coast; one collection point even received an entire Amazon truck filled with Kit components in a single day.
She Can Do It – And So Can We!
This year, we hope to expand our global humanitarian work even more by dedicating our She Can Do It! 2022 Spring Campaign to the cause.
All donations received now through Menstrual Hygiene Day, May 28, will directly fund our international disaster-response efforts and help us reach our goal of serving 30,000 menstruating refugees worldwide – from Uganda and South Sudan, to Lebanon and Jordan.
Together, our global network, partners and supporters are creating a new paradigm in humanitarian response: one that’s equitable, gender-inclusive and prioritizes the unique needs of people with periods. Here is how you can support the movement.
