Days for Girls is turning periods into pathways.
We increase access to menstrual care and education by developing global partnerships, cultivating Social Enterprises, mobilizing volunteers and innovating sustainable solutions that shatter stigma and limitations for women and girls.
Increase access to menstrual supplies
Cost-effective, safe, sustainable and contextually relevant products help women and girls manage their periods and engage in livelihood activities.
Shatter stigma through education
Access to timely, factual information about puberty and menstruation can lead to increased body literacy, a healthy public perception of menstruation and decreased stigma and shame.
Elevate menstrual health
Menstrual health and hygiene are critical factors in improving education opportunities and livelihood outcomes for women, girls and people with periods worldwide.
Advocate for global policy change
Lasting change occurs when menstrual health is prioritized and integrated into regional, national and international policy goals.
Our theory of change
By combining innovative menstrual health solutions and education with Social Enterprises and volunteers we advance locally driven policy and advocacy to create long-lasting impact.
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OUR IMPACT
We’ve impacted the lives of 3+ million women, girls and people with periods in 145 countries - and counting!
HELP US REACH 5 MILLION
OUR STORY
How it all began
Days for Girls began in 2008 when our Founder, Celeste Mergens, was working with a foundation in Kenya assisting an orphanage in the outskirts of Nairobi. In the wake of historic post-election violence, the population at the orphanage had swelled from 400 children to 1,400.
Upon inquiring about the menstrual health practices of the many girls at the orphanage, Celeste learned that many were sitting on cardboard in their rooms for several days each month – often going without food unless someone would bring it to them. This set into motion her first intervention: disposable pads. But Celeste and her team quickly discovered that without any place to dispose of the pads, this was not a viable or sustainable solution.
It was time for plan B: a washable, long-lasting pad.
The first Days for Girls Kits were quite different from the design we use today. Each of the 30 iterations that followed would be informed by extensive feedback and designed to meet unique cultural and environmental conditions in communities throughout the world. It quickly became clear just how powerful menstrual health solutions are in helping menstrual women and girls break the cycle of poverty and live their lives with dignity.
Our next step was to develop a health education curriculum that would be included in each DfG Kit distribution. With user-centered product design and curriculum in place, the final stage was to launch a Social Enterprise program that enables local women to start their own Days for Girls businesses – and serve as vital thought leaders and suppliers within their own communities.
Buy the Book!
"The Power of Days," written by Celeste Mergens, Founder of Days for Girls International, is on sale now!
Buy Today!