Days for Girls Project
Days for Girls is an international organisation, founded in America in 2007 and its aim is to provide reusable, sustainable hygienic kits for girls to use when they menstruate each month. The kits enable them to continue to live their lives to the full extent and not have to miss a week of school each month.
Kits are made in many different countries and then transported to where they are distributed to girls in developing countries.
Days for Girls Mission:
Every girl in the world deserves education, safety, and dignity. We help girls gain access to quality sustainable feminine hygiene and awareness, by direct distribution of sustainable feminine hygiene kits, by partnering with nonprofits, groups and organizations, by raising awareness, and by helping communities around the world start their own programs.
Rotary North Balwyn has a very active group of ladies who support this program by making kits to send overseas.
Sewing Days
Sewing days are held on the first Wednesday of each month where components of the kits are cut out and stitched and the kits assembled. This is also an opportunity for much fellowship!! The group is very grateful to the Uniting Church in Duggan Street for offering to give the group a permanent space, along with storage space, which is much appreciated.
Distribution
Kits are distributed in various ways and during 2023 and 2024 we have been contributing to shipments organised by Days for Girls Australia as they have been doing bulk shipments to our near neighbours. So far we have contributed:
145 kits were forwarded Timor Leste
97 kits were forwarded to Vietnam
33 kits were forwarded to Papua New Guinea
127 kits were forwarded to Bangladesh
Our group has made over 2,000 kits since we commenced.
Part of a Days for Girls distribution is a health education program, delivered to the girls by a local trainer in the local language. Days for Girls Australia organises this when they ship the kits. The kits that went to PNG all had information in pidgin in them so the Days for Girls brochures have been translated into 40+ languages.
For more information about Days for Girls please see: www.daysforgirls.org
