I just wanted to fill you all in on the latest shipment of pads to Africa from Goods 4 Girls. This week I sent out 500 pads (100 kits)! They will be delivered to South Sudan in early May by the Vermont-based non-profit called the New Sudan Education Initiative (NESEI). They are an organization that was started by former Sudanese refugees in 2006 with the goal of building 20 secondary school in war-torn South Sudan. They have a special interest in promoting and providing education and career training to young women, war-orphans, and other disadvantaged or at-risk youth. I was contacted by them late last month as they had concern over their female students, many of whom belong to destitute families or have never been taught about menstruation.
Many of the girls lack proper sanitation upon arrival, and NESEI doesn't feel that it is environmentally-friendly or sustainable to bring in disposable pads. That's where Goods 4 Girls and, ultimately, you and your donations get to help. They have or will soon have 100 girls of menstruating age in the school and need kits badly. They plan to use the kits in concordance with pro-active menstruation education and help.
I hope to be getting a report back next month as an update on how the distribution is going there. If you are interested in donating, please check out the How to Donate page.
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16 Crunchy Thoughts:
Yeah! Great job, Crunchy! Keep up the awesome work! :-)
Really amazing and inspiring!
Do you ever sleep?
Woohoo! This is so fantastic Crunchy!
I'm sure you'll probably find this a crazy question... but have you contacted the Oprah network about Good 4 Girls? I was telling my mother about your work and her first response was "That sounds like a cause Oprah would rally behind." I'm sure she (well, her organization) gets all sorts of requests and info, but this is the type of issue (women and Africa) that seems to be of most importance to her. Just a thought...
Speaking of G4G I thought I would let you know that my "prize" in the current bloggy giveaway carnival is going to be a donation to G4G on behalf of my winner. I didn't want to clutter people's homes with more "stuff" and thought this way everyone would win a little! I'm so glad this project is moving forward so well! You rock :-)
Totally excellent. I'll bet my Earth Day t-shirt (again) - that one, or two, or three- of these girls will wind up changing their whole communities- because they got just this little break. Leaders and examples.
I tell ya, it's nice to have SOMETHING to feel good about, these days. Thanks. :-)
This is really important work you are doing, Crunchy. After reading Common Wealth, I realize just how important. Let us all follow your example.
I agree with Jenna. This sounds like the type of project that is right up Oprah's alley. It's worth looking into.
I have a question. Can we add a Keeper or DivaCup to the package? I barely notice my period thanks to the Keeper. What do you think? Would that jack up the price toooo much? I am going to make a donation asap, but thought I'd ask.
You rock. Thanks for your hard work.
Way to go cunchers! I am all for women getting an education- education is a stepping stone of life!
I meant "Crunchers"
Go Crunchy, Go Crunchy... This is such a great project. I'm looking forward to devoting more time to sewing for it in May.
so awesome! :)
i still need to post again about the need for donations. i'm so behind on everything. eep. will try for next week.
oh and i agree w/ jenna. get in touch w/ oprah. seriously. i bet she'd be into this. :) what an impact that could have.
Have you considered contacting GreaterGood.com about g4g? They host The Hunger Site, The Breast Cancer Site, The Rainforest Site, etc. They have a store on their site that sells "Gifts That Give More," which are basically a way to give donations to a specific charity or group. I donated money to fund schooling for girls in Afghanistan last year, and I know they donate money for school shoes to some girls' charities in Africa, so they might really like the idea of G4G. They might want to host a link to your site or even partner up with you. I don't know if you want to do that but you'd be reaching a bigger audience this way: The Hunger Site is very well-known.
By the way, please let us know if and when you do contact any of these people we've mentioned (Oprah, Bust magazine, Greater Good, etc.) and if any of them contact you back! I, for one, would love to see more people stepping it up for a great cause. Best of luck!
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