Stronger Together: Chapters & Teams Stepping Up
At Days For Girls, our impact is rooted in the collaboration of an incredible global network. Around the world, our Chapters, Teams and Enterprises are working in tandem to build a better, more equitable future for women and girls – and solidarity is key to their success!
By putting their hearts and minds together, DfG volunteers and Enterprise leaders are overcoming unprecedented challenges, fostering collective growth and reaching more menstruators than ever before.
Stepping Up In Kenya
In Kenya, support from Chapters and Teams is helping local Enterprises thrive amidst the ongoing strain of COVID-19. Together, their efforts serve as a life-raft for Kenyan menstruators pushed deeper into period poverty by the pandemic.
For Kathleen Erickson and Judy McClellan, who co-lead the Twin Cities MN Team, partnering with local Enterprises was a no-brainer – especially during COVID-19. With borders closed and imports restricted, they knew that supporting locally-led distributions was the quickest, most effective way to reach women and girls on the ground. Now, they’re focusing on raising funds to subsidize DfG Kits and masks from Enterprises, who will deliver them to areas of need.
This summer, the Twin Cities Team partnered with local leaders Agnes Achieng and Rosemary Akinyi to reach more than 385 Kenyan women and girls with DfG Kits and masks. They also sponsored 25 Kits for a girls football team and 60 Kits for a school in Korogocho.
“In the face of disaster, we need to be more creative,” Judy said. “We need to move on from what we used to do, to what we still can do effectively.”
Uplifting Displaced Teen Girls in Nakuru
Sometimes, collaboration is key to serving vulnerable girls who would otherwise be too hard to reach. Like in Nakuru, Kenya, where Chapter contributions enabled a special DfG Kit distribution for vulnerable teenaged girls in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.
Thanks to funds raised by Jeana Nash of Days For Girls Escondido CA, DfG Kenya’s Smile Star’D Enterprise was able to deliver 125 DfG Kits and women’s health education to teens at high risk for unwanted pregnancy. Period poverty fuels rampant exploitation in the camp, as many girls are forced to trade sex for pads – a problem that has only gotten worse during the pandemic’s economic downturn.
Enterprise leader Alice Wambui, who led the distribution, said the girls were all incredibly grateful to receive much-needed supplies and to learn about health, safety and their changing bodies. Community leaders even requested that the Enterprise return with Kits for an additional 250 girls and Men Who Know education sessions for boys in the camp! Alice is excited to continue the partnership, and is thankful for Chapter support in making it happen.
“It’s amazing to see how collective efforts from Enterprises and Chapters/Teams can impact so many lives,” she said. “When Chapters purchase Kits from local Enterprises, they are empowering local economies and providing a livelihood to the seamstresses making Kits. We truly appreciate Jeana for partnering with us to make this possible!”
Emergency Relief In Lebanon
The power of teamwork is especially critical when disaster strikes. Like when two devastating explosions rocked Beirut in August, and Chapters and Teams leapt to support Days For Girls Lebanon through the crisis.
Right away, volunteers raised more than $26,000 to purchase 2,000 Kits and 3,500 masks from DfG Lebanon Enterprises for immediate distribution. Then, in just two short weeks, a record number of U.S. and Canadian Chapters and Teams banded together to contribute more than 26,000 DfG Kits to the Lebanon emergency response and other humanitarian relief efforts.
This massive, collective effort was instrumental in helping DfG Lebanon reach as many women and girls as possible. With 84,000 menstruators displaced by the explosions (and struggling to access basic necessities), a coordinated response was the most effective way to tackle the urgent need.
“For our Team, being part of the Lebanon Emergency Response Project meant that we got to be part of something bigger than ourselves,” says Pittsburgh PA Chapter Leader Karie Charlton, who led one of three major U.S. collection points for DfG Kits.
“There was a sense that in the midst of a pandemic, social unrest, economic uncertainty, we are still able to do our small part to make the world a better place.”
These are just a few examples of what we can achieve when we work together, uplift one another and unite in our shared vision. Want to lend your support? Fill out this form to help even more DfG Global Enterprises reach women and girls around the world!
