Periods, pads and a better future for all GIRLS!
JANUARY 24, 2014, CHRYSTAL DE FREITAS, M.D., F.A.A.P.
This month’s blog post gives a big shout out to Celeste Mergens – the founder of Days for Girls International for her vision and dedication to girls in Kenya and around the word. Days for Girls International helps provide sustainable hygiene kits to girls in third world countries. Contemplating their mission, and many times in the past while teaching my Healthy Chats for Girls seminars, I’ve thought that our girls here in the U.S. often take for granted how lucky they are to be able to talk to their moms about how their body changes and have at their disposition the enormous variety of sanitary products to use. Sweet smelling, easy to use and dispose of, and readily accessible to one and all.
As the Days for Girls mission addresses, in many third world countries, like Kenya, girls have to stay out of school for three to four days per month during their menstrual cycle since they don’t have sanitary pads to protect their clothing!! They stay home and sit on cardboard, sometimes using things like leaves or corn husks to absorb their menstrual flow. Wow is right!
Celeste Mergens decided to do something about it and created a grassroots network of volunteers who help sew washable cotton pads in kits to distribute to the girls. Hundred of thousand of women have joined the community and make these pads for distribution in many communities around the world.
Next time your daughter is grumpy about having to deal with her period look up this web site and encourage her to think of ways to participate – www.daysforgirls.org. You can volunteer your talents in lots of ways, even if you’re like me and don’t sew!
For our part, Healthy Chats for Girls will be donating 50% of the proceeds from our My First Period Kit sales to Days for Girls – for one full year. That’s right, all of 2014! We hope that this donation inspires you to – at any point this year – consider getting involved in this cause or one that inspires you, and get your daughter involved as well.
May 2014 bring all our girls – across the country and world – health, hygiene, and knowledge.
Dr. de Freitas
2 thoughts on “Periods, pads and a better future for all GIRLS!”
Leave a Reply
I tried to leave a message on the website to be contacted about becoming an educator but was unable. 5 years ago I contacted Dr. Freitas about the program but then decided that my pediatric practice was enough and not ready/willing to do the program. Now I am involved with the Chicago archdiocesan chastity initiative and I am looking to put together a talk that “marries” the puberty talk with Theology of the Body and the message of Natural Family Planning. If Dr. Freitas is able to share any of her slides I would be grateful.I know in the past there was a $2500 licensing fee which however is not part of the line item in the budget. Thank you in advance for reading this e-mail. Dr. Mary Ellen Gruszka
Hello, I have passed along your request to Dr. de Freitas and will leave it up to her to determine if she is able to help you out on your project. Thank you for reaching out to us.