days for girls, a sewing service project

I had the best birthday party ever this year for the big 50!
(Considering I haven’t had a party since I was a preteen, having any party at all was an accomplishment.)

Becky, lower left in this picture, has started to head up service projects every month or two for the fabulous neighborhood quilt bee I belong to. We looked into, Days for Girls , an organization that increases access to menstrual care and education. I’m so completely spoiled that it never occurred to me that girls who don’t have access to sanitary supplies have to stay home from school during their cycle and often end up falling so far behind that they drop out.

So – I co-opted the project for my birthday and we made 50 reusable menstrual kits. They are sent to India and Kenya and anywhere else (including the US) where they are needed. The Days for Girls  says that retention rates for girls in Kenya reached 96% after receiving DfG Kits, up from a 75% average. Drop-out rates went from 25% to 4% in Uganda after one year. I love that this is a sewing service project that can actually TRULY change someone’s life. I also love that they provide seed money and resources for local women to start making and selling the supplies themselves.

And it was so much fun to have a house full of people I love from all my circles of friends. Neighbors, Quilters, fellow Church members. 

The. Best. Birthday. Ever!

If you are interested in participating, go to the Days for Girls  website and look for a local coordinator, or become one yourself.